How to Get the Chris Cornell Scholarship at UCLA Law

By William Vogeler, Esq. on December 29, 2017 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Here's a secret to getting the new Chris Cornell Scholarship at UCLA: If you are going for the money, you don't get it.

This scholarship is for students who are dedicated to human rights. It requires a commitment like the late singer/songwriter showed when he donated proceeds from his most famous song to an international rescue group.

Now do you get it? This is a scholarship that isn't about money.

The Artist

First, a little background music. "The Promise," which became the theme for a film by the same name, has become Cornell's signature work.

It was nominated for a Grammy in the rock performance category, but had more significant meaning in the world of human rights. Cornell, who was active in human rights around the world, donated the song proceeds to the International Rescue Committee.

Proceeds from the film, which told the story of the Armenian genocide in the early 20th century, were used to create the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law. With a $1 million gift from a group led by Vicky Cornell, now the law school is launching a scholarship in the songwriter's name.

"My husband and I agreed that given the opportunity of education, people have the power to change the world," she said in a statement.

The Promise

UCLA's Promise Institute, founded in 2017, will train human rights lawyers, generate scholarship and develop boots-on-the-ground programs to address "the most pressing contemporary human rights concerns."

The new institute offers opportunities to students, lawyers and others who want to be involved in human rights education, research and advocacy. Dean Jennifer Mnookin said a $20 million gift created the institute and was the largest ever made to the law school.

The Cornell Scholarship will extend and strengthen the law law school's commitment to "students and the pursuit of justice," she said.

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