Another year, another scholarship competition! When Kristen D. Hofheimer, owner and managing partner, passed away in 2019 after a long struggle with breast cancer, we wanted to do something to honor her memory.
Her dad – Charlie Hofheimer – used to joke about what an intellectual she was; how she turned down a full ride law school scholarship at another Virginia school to go to the University of Virginia instead.
Education was always important to Kristen. It’s important to us, too. And so, too, are ensuring that women have the opportunities they need to get where they need to be.
Though we know Kristen would be a little bit embarrassed by having her name (and picture) splashed all over the scholarship campaign, I still feel convinced that it’s a program she would have easily gotten behind. Education is critically important, especially for women.
There are a million different scholarship competitions and programs out there for traditional college students – rising college freshmen straight out of high school. But that was never our goal here. Though it’s awesome, at any age, to go to college or graduate school, what we really wanted to support was nontraditional students.
As a family law firm, our hearts and minds are specifically with the women who are surviving and thriving post-divorce or after a child custody case. These kinds of breakups, especially for women who may have delayed schooling, quit to stay at home, or taken lesser paying but more flexible positions to support both their professional and domestic lives simultaneously, can be really difficult to successfully overcome, especially without additional education or training. A divorce or custody case isn’t required, but being a non-traditional student is.
It’s not that you have to be pursuing a 4 year degree or even going to law school (though we love to see that, too); for our scholarship competition, we include not just those seeking to follow a more traditional educational path, but also those women who are looking for additional training, recertification, continuing education credits, or a vocational certificate. There is more than one way to make a success of your life and it may or may not include heading to university.
The theme is “Straighten Those Crowns,” and it’s based off a quotation that we saw and loved (and that reminded us of the kind of person Kristen was) – “Be the woman who straightens another woman’s crown without telling the world it was crooked.”
For me, Kristen was the one who hugged me first when I found out that I passed the bar, who celebrated my first big trial win with me, and who cheerleaded everyone around the office. (She’d hate the word ‘cheerlead,’ but somehow it flowed and I went with it.) She had an open door policy and was never too busy to weigh in on a case, give advice, or listen when you had a hard time with something. She was kind, quiet, and steady, but quick on her feet and clever with her retorts. Watching her in court was always so impressive, because it was so measured and, no matter what, I never saw her really angry. (Even when opposing counsel was crazy!)
Be like Kristen. And nominate yourself, or a deserving woman, to receive our 2025 Kristen D. Hofheimer Memorial Scholarship. The first stage is just a nomination, so what do you have to lose?
From that point, semi-finalists will be selected for the opportunity to create a video on the theme, “Straighten Those Crowns.” The best will become finalists, and we’ll share the videos on social media for voting. The top two win $1,000 scholarships!
That’s it. That’s all you have to do!
You can nominate a deserving woman (or yourself) on our website. Stay tuned for more updates – and good luck!
This is one of our favorite things each and every year, and we’re so honored to have you be a part of it!