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A total of five students from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law have been named to the IUPUI Elite 50 list of honorees for 2018. This year's honorees are Cindy Alfaro, Whitney Bailey, Jamar Cobb-Dennard, Puruda Kothari, and Talitha Krenk.

Alfaro is a 2018 J.D. candidate. During her time in law school, she took part in a Program in International Human Rights Law internship in Washington, D.C., where she worked with a nonprofit; was a recipient of a Michael and Nancy Freeborn Fellowship in Civil and International Human Rights Law; and worked as an interpreter and intern at IU McKinney's Immigration Clinic; among many other activities.

Bailey is the Executive Board Secretary for the Student Bar Association, an Admissions Office Student Ambassador, a BARBRI student representative, and Executive Board Co-Chair for Women's Caucus. Earlier in her law school career, the 2018 J.D. candidate served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate through Child Advocates, Inc., and was the recipient of the Harold R. Woodard Scholarship.

As a law student, Cobb-Dennard started a political action committee aimed at supporting candidates of color from both major political parties successfully run for political office. He serves as the organization's executive director. A 2019 J.D. candidate, he serves on the board of Indianapolis Public Works, is the local president and state vice president of the Indiana Democrat African American Caucus, and serves as a precinct committee-person. He has received numerous accolades for his service.

Kothari is a 2018 J.D. candidate at IU McKinney, who was part of the group of 1Ls that started the Immigration Law Society in 2015. It is unusual for first-year law students to take an active role in student groups, and nearly unheard of for them to begin student organizations in their first year of studies. Kothari also was a Cohen & Malad Fellow for 2017, which focuses on social justice and human rights.

Krenk is an LL.M. candidate for 2018, and has been admitted to IU McKinney's J.D. program for Fall 2018. She served as president of the Master of Laws Association, a student group at the law school, where she initiated a peer mentoring program that matches international LL.M. students with incoming international LL.M. students, played an active role in the 15th anniversary celebration of the law school's Master of Laws program, and organized a presentation on the Amazon forest by a visiting professor at IU McKinney.

The Elite 50 program honors graduate and professional students at IUPUI, and is modeled after the university’s Top 100 Outstanding Students honors program. The program’s purpose is to recognize and reward achievement outside the classroom among the 8,100 graduate and professional student population. The Elite 50 represent the top one-half of 1 percent of the graduate and professional student body at IUPUI. Since awards for academic accomplishments already exist, the Elite 50 mainly focuses on achievements outside of the classroom. The Elite 50 Celebration Dinner will take place on April 11 at 6 p.m. in the University Tower Ballroom.