“We received an excellent legal education at Santa Clara Law infused with core human values,” says Katayoun “Katy” Gronowski JD/MBA ‘87. “The Law School awarded me a full scholarship even though I was a recent immigrant to this country. It was time to pay back this enormous act of kindness, generosity, and humanity,” she adds.
Katy and her husband and fellow Santa Clara Law alumnus, Stephen Gronowski JD ‘86, chose to pay back this act of kindness in the form of a generous gift, which has enabled Santa Clara Law to create the Gronowski Family Law Endowed Scholarship, an endowed scholarship to support law students of Middle Eastern descent.
This is the first-ever scholarship for law students of Middle Eastern descent at Santa Clara Law, and among the first of its kind at a US law school.
“The cost of a legal education is staggering nowadays,” says Katy. “We want to be able to help young people on their career path at a time when they need help the most.”
The Gronowskis both practice law in Walnut Creek, where Stephen specializes in transactional real estate and Katy is a certified specialist in family law. Katy has also taught law school courses in family law and community property.
The Gronowskis have deep ties to SCU, in addition to earning their degrees from Santa Clara Law. Both of their children are Broncos as well— Madeline graduated from SCU in 2021, and Caitlin is a member of the SCU class of 2025.
Endowed scholarships such as the Gronowski Scholarship are a central focus of the Law School during Santa Clara University’s Innovating with a Mission Campaign. “We are so grateful to the Gronowski family for making this generous leadership gift that will create more opportunities for students of Middle Eastern descent to attend Santa Clara Law,” says Steve O’Brien, senior assistant dean for external relations. “Scholarships are critical to the success of our students and our school because they enable us to attract and retain top students while simultaneously building a student body that is reflective of the communities our graduates serve.”
To learn more about supporting scholarship opportunities at Santa Clara Law, contact Ash Farrington, director of development, (408) 554-5496, afarrington@scu.edu.
Left to right: Katayoun (Katy) Gronowski, Stephen, and Caitlin Gronowski, Dean Michael Kaufman, Senior Assistant Dean Steve O’Brien.
