Dean Martin presents Michelle Ciccone with her scholarship check.

The Washington State Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers recently awarded a scholarship to third-year GU law student Michelle Ciccone.

Ciccone received her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology from Metropolitan State College of Denver, where she focused her efforts on a comparison of the rehabilitative versus retributive approach in the reduction of recidivism.

The AAML is devoted to improving the quality of family law legal services. It is at the forefront of tracking and shaping the ever-changing legal landscape wit h regard to how the justice system addresses family law issues, whether through litigation, arbitration, collaborative law, or mediation.

Michelle said she chose Gonzaga because she wanted to attend a Jesuit institution in the Northwest, and Gonzaga had the professor-student ratio, the bar passage rates, and the reputation that she was looking for.

She cites her work in the law clinic as the most rewarding experience of her GU law career to date.

"It's an opportunity I would recommend for every Gonzaga law student," she said.