Contact: Andy Franken, 608-576-1546
Madison, WI. – The Joseph P. Mettner Foundation (jPMF) has announced that it is awarding its Annual jPMF Scholarship to Marisol Gonzalez Castillo, a third year law student at the University of Wisconsin Law School. The scholarship is awarded to law students planning careers in public service, and honors the life of Joe Mettner, who held a passion for public policy and was a devoted public servant himself.
“We continue to see quality applicants from the University of Wisconsin Law pursuing careers in public service and Ms. Gonzalez Castillo’s application quickly rose to the top of the pile,” said Michelle Mettner, who, along with friends of Joe, formed the foundation in honor of her late husband.
Ms. Gonzalez Castillo received her BA in Economics and Psychology from Knox College in Galesburg, IL. She just completed work this summer for the Chicago Legal Clinic. During the school year she also works for the Human Rights Project and Wisconsin Innocence Project. She is also Editor in Chief of the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society.
Ms. Gonzalez Castillo’s career goal is to work in public service. She aims to help those who are underrepresented and underserved. Providing legal aid through a legal clinic has inspired her to pursue this work in her career.
She shared her thoughts on receiving the scholarship: “I am inspired to help those in need and use my law degree to serve those who are underrepresented. It is a great honor that the Foundation saw me as one who shares some of the qualities Joe Mettner showed in his life and public service work.”
The jPMF was created in 2010 to honor the life of Joe Mettner by providing financial assistance to law students in need who are pursuing a career in public service. He attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration (1986) and a juris doctorate (1992). He began working for Governor Tommy Thompson while still in law school and, in 1993, Governor Thompson appointed him to serve as a Commissioner on the Tax Appeals Commission. He served in that role until 1996, when he was appointed as one of three members—and later as chairman—of the state’s Public Service Commission.
Friends, family, colleagues –including former and current PSC Commissioners and government leaders — will come together on September 15th, 2017 at the jPMF golf outing and award dinner at Blackhawk Country Club when Ms. Gonzalez Castillo will be presented with the scholarship award. To learn more about the event go to www.joemettner.org.
Past jPMF Scholarship Recipients
2011 – Jamie Yoon, UW Law School
2012 – Scott Zehr, UW Law School
2013 – Colin McGinn, UW Law School
2014 –Sydney Hawthorne, UW Law School
2015 – Michael Polich, UW Law School
2016 – Whitney Ederer, UW Law School
