Bobbie Alvernaz Law’25, has received the 2025 Chief Justice Richard Wagner Award for the Queen’s chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC). The award recognizes outstanding PBSC volunteers across Canada who embody the organization’s core values of dignity, equity, and humility.

As project lead for Queen’s Law’s Pro Bono Radio project, Alvernaz has empowered fellow student volunteers and helped bring legal education to the public in an engaging and accessible way.

Her acceptance remarks, posted on the PBSC website, read:

"Volunteering with PBSC over the past three years has been the most impactful experience of my law school education. As a 1L volunteer with the Pro Bono Radio project, I was motivated to discuss controversial and important topics, which led me to have an informed discussion with Professor Debra Haak about the legality of prostitution in Canada.

“The process of working with the wonderful PBSC staff and supervising lawyers to create my podcast inspired me to become the Project Lead for the following two years, where I was able to guide newer students through the process of creating their own content for the public.

“While guiding these mentees, I also was able to create two further podcasts, which focused on important cases for individuals considering lawsuits. Through my volunteer experience, I learned that digestible and informative legal education content is critical to guaranteeing that the legal profession remains accessible to the general public. It allows us to break the barriers to justice in Canada by keeping individuals informed about the legal implications of the modern world. Thank you PBSC!”

PBSC Coordinator Kira Petriello Law’25, presented the award to Alvernaz during the chapter’s volunteer appreciation event in the student lounge on March 17.

In August, Alvernaz will begin her articles at Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto, where she was a summer law student last year.