State's Attorney Presents El Humanitario Award

Cook County State's Attorney Richard A. Devine will present the 12th annual El Humanitario Award Wednesday night to Karina Ayala-Bermejo, director of community services for the Chicago Bar Association.

The ceremony, which will be hosted by NBC 5's Anita Padilla, begins with a reception at
5:30 p.m. and will be held at the Chicago Athletic Association, 12 S. Michigan Ave.

Karina Ayala-Bermejo was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and raised on Chicago's South Side, where she currently resides. She is a graduate of Loyola University-Chicago and received her juris doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law. As director of community services for the CBA, she encourages attorneys to take on pro bono work and collaborates with the bar and various divisions of the Circuit Court of Cook County on initiatives to improve the justice system.

Ayala-Bermejo also serves as the executive director of the Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Lend-A-Hand program, which recruits and funds agencies that tutor and mentor area youth. She has served on numerous boards and service-oriented task forces, and is the past president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, where she founded their mentoring program, JD Mentors.

Devine will also honor Araceli Ortiz and David Fuentes, winners of this year's student essay contest. The State's Attorney will also recognize the recipients of this year's "Hispanic Bar Association Law Students' Recognition Award," Natalia Delgado and Amanda Cortez.

The El Humanitario Awards celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and honor members of the Hispanic community who deserve special recognition for their contributions as lawyers and outstanding citizens.

# # #