2027 Woodruff Fellows

Emory Law annually awards the Woodruff Fellowship, its most prestigious scholarship, to a select group of incoming students.

The Woodruff Fellowship offers full tuition, mandatory fees, and a $5,000 stipend to high-achieving incoming students at Emory Law. 

Specifically, the fellowships are awarded to students who have demonstrated: 

• qualities of forceful and unselfish character, 
• intellectual and personal vigor, 
• outstanding academic achievement, 
• impressive skills in communication, 
• significant leadership and creativity in school or community, 
• clear potential for enriching the lives of their contemporaries at Emory University, and 
• strong propensity to make a positive impact on the community as an Emory Law alumnus/alumna. 

The Woodruff Fellowship is more than a scholarship. Becoming a Woodruff Fellow means joining a rich community of scholars who are leaders among the Emory Law community, the alumni association, and the greater society. It also means inclusion in special Woodruff-only events with law school and university leaders and prominent alumni. Our fellows are leaders both while they are students and after they graduate and join the profession in courtrooms, businesses, government, public service, and academia. The Woodruff Fellow designation provides lasting recognition of achievement. 

All incoming three-year JD students are eligible to apply for the Woodruff Fellowship program. 

The 2027 cohort, comprising first-year law students, is: 

Ori Ben-Ari 27L was born in Kfar Saba, Israel, and immigrated to Maplewood, New Jersey, at the age of 11. During his college years, he interned at the National Academy of Social Insurance, where he formulated a strong interest in federal taxation policy and Social Security, presenting innovative tax policies to the chief actuaries of both the United States and Canada. Always interested in public and private decision-making processes, Ben-Ari published two empirical philosophy papers as one of William & Mary’s James Monroe Scholars. Ben-Ari graduated summa cum laude from the College of William & Mary in 2024 with a degree in public policy. He had been working as a legal clerk at Bartlett & Spirn, PLC, and as a data analyst for Solvency || Wire Data, a London-based insurance database. He looks forward to marrying his interests in the public sector with his experience in the private sector while developing his legal skills at Emory Law. 

Nick Katsis 27L graduated in 3.5 years from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business with high distinction and a degree focusing on entrepreneurship and ethical decision-making. During his time in Bloomington, Katsis consulted numerous student startups as part of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization and started businesses of his own to gain leadership experience and help develop the entrepreneurial community on campus. As external vice president of his fraternity, he also led numerous philanthropic efforts benefiting organizations such as the One Love Foundation and Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, alongside local food kitchens in the Bloomington area. At Emory, Katsis aims to apply to a business the critical thinking skills emphasized within a legal education context to continue to develop his ability to build and lead businesses effectively. In line with this goal, Katsis hopes to pursue a JD/MBA dual degree and plans on applying to Emory University’s Goizueta Business School during his 1L year. 

Maya Levkovitz 27L graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida (UF) with a BA in linguistics and political science, as well as a certificate in teaching English as a second language. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and completed a linguistics thesis about the disparities in the treatment of women and men in sports journalism. At UF, Levkovitz was vice president of the Undergraduate Linguistics Society, where she worked alongside the Linguistics Department administration to expand research and learning opportunities for students. While a student, she worked as both the head coach of Congressional Debate for the Bronx High School of Science Speech and Debate team and as a supervisor of operations for the UF Academic Technology Department. Maya’s experience with the law began during college when she interned for Scott Law Team, a South Florida-based labor and employment law firm, where she conducted case research, gathered evidence, and learned to communicate with clients. Before starting law school, Levkovitz continued on as a legal assistant at Scott Law Team for two years, where she developed her passion for labor and employment law.