Frost Brown Todd (FBT) is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of the firm’s annual FBT Zenobia Harris Bivens Diversity Scholarship, established to support deserving students in their education and exploration of the law. This year’s scholarship winners are Wenxi Lu, a graduate of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law; and Grace Zuo, a rising second-year law student at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
FBT’s scholarship committee selected Lu and Zuo from a competitive pool of over 100 applicants for demonstrating the highest level of academic excellence and a commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities and spheres of influence. They will each receive $5,000 to assist with the cost of their education.
“Championing diversity within the legal field is a passion for all of us at Frost Brown Todd. Each year, we’re not only proud to award this scholarship to the next generation of legal professionals, but we’re also inspired by the recipients. They too carry an eagerness to build upon our efforts to create a diverse and inclusive community, and we’re delighted FBT can support them along their path,” said FBT Partner Justin Fowles, who chairs the scholarship selection committee.
Zenobia Harris Bivens, the scholarship’s namesake, was an accomplished attorney, influential leader and mentor, and a champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Bivens died unexpectedly in 2022, and the FBT Diversity Scholarship Fund, established in 2010, was renamed in her memory.
The FBT Zenobia Harris Bivens Diversity Scholarship supports students pursuing a career in the legal field. Since its inception, the firm has awarded over $80,000 in scholarship funds to more than 30 students attending law school in 10 states across the U.S. To be considered, applicants must be a law student at an ABA-accredited law school or an undergraduate who intends to pursue law. Scholarship recipients have demonstrated academic excellence, service to the profession, service to the community, and a commitment to diversity.
Learn more about the 2024 scholarship winners below.
Wenxi Lu graduated from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law (IU Maurer) in May and will join FBT as a first-year associate in the firm’s Indianapolis office. Originally from China, Lu came to the United States to attend the University of Michigan, where earned a bachelor’s in psychology. Her journey to becoming a lawyer was inspired in part by her work as an advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion and equality, first in China and later as a law student at IU Maurer. She co-founded We Can See It, a nonprofit focused on combating gender-based violence, and has organized exhibitions, trainings, and activist panels. During law school, Lu served as the 2L and 3L Director of the LGBTQ+ Project, executive submissions editor for the Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, and student liaison to the ABA’s Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. She also clerked for Chief Justice Loretta Rush of the Indiana Supreme Court and worked as an advocacy intern at the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association, which recognized her with its Student Leadership Award in 2023. After law school, Lu plans to apply her education and experience as a litigator assisting clients with labor and employment matters, while continuing to advocate for the rights of marginalized communities.
Grace Zuo is a rising second-year law student at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, a Dean’s Scholar, Bennett Scholar, and DEI Director of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Born in rural China, she started working at a young age to earn her own tuition money from middle school through university. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Laws from Tianjin Foreign Studies University and a Master of Laws degree from the University of International Business and Economics School of Law in Beijing, becoming the first from her hometown to achieve multiple degrees. In China, Zuo provided pro bono legal aid to victims of domestic violence and helped establish a legal aid association for migrant workers. After working as an associate at a law firm and as in-house counsel at a financial services company, she pursued further education in the United States and is on track to complete her J.D. in 2026. In addition to practicing law, she plans to establish a foundation supporting minority women in higher education who are pursuing careers in the legal field.