Brian Loftus

Brian was enrolled in ROTC when his friend was killed on September 11th as a passenger on Flight 93. In the wake of terrorism and personal tragedy, military service took on a deeper significance for Brian. He spent five years on active duty in the Air Force, served multiple deployments, and then returned to civilian life determined to do what he had been doing since he was 15 years old-undertaking service projects to give back and help others.

As a San Jose police officer fluent in Spanish, Brian saw upfront how cultural and language barriers were breeding mistrust between the local police and Hispanic community. The experience inspired him to enter law school at the University of Oregon. After graduation, Brian plans to form a community outreach program in the Bay Area that recruits bilingual lawyers to attend community meetings and answer questions to help citizens better understand the law. Help support scholars like Brian today.