Karen W. Schulz J.D. ’10 has received the Young Alumnus Rising Star Award from Santa Clara School of Law, which recognizes a law graduate who has distinguished himself/herself after less than ten years in practice—and has made a positive impact in the community through service and commitment to the law. Schulz has a passion for providing much-needed legal services to the low-income communities in the Bay Area. At Santa Clara Law, Schulz enrolled in Skills I and II classes at the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center (KGACLC) under the mentorship of Professor Lynette Parker, and she continued to volunteer there even after becoming licensed. At KGACLC, Schulz’s first pro bono client retained her in 2011, and that experience cemented the formation of her nonprofit organization, Step Forward Foundation, which began serving clients in the San Jose area. In 2013, Schulz developed a close partnership with Community Solutions in Morgan Hill, and she moved the headquarters there. Step Forward now serves hundreds of clients per year on a pro bono basis, focusing on Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, and has the support of hundreds of thousands of dollars in government grant funding. Schulz serves as managing attorney and employs a team of eight. Step Forward was an initial partner in the Santa Clara County Family Justice Centers, which provide free legal consultations to victims of domestic violence, and is led by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. Since 2013, Step Forward has been a member of the South Bay Coalition To End Human Trafficking, and Schulz has provided dozens of trainings on human trafficking to social services agencies and other attorneys. A 2006 graduate of UCLA with a B.A. in political science, Schulz lives in Campbell with her husband, Brandon, two-year-old daughter Evelyn, and newborn daughter, Adrienne.