Campbell Law’s Daiana Mendoza-Acosta ‘28 named 2026 NCBA/NCBF Open Door Fellow

RALEIGH - Campbell Law School rising second-year student Daiana Mendoza-Acosta '28 has been selected as an 2026 Open Door Fellow for the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA) and North Carolina Bar Foundation (NCBF).

The NCBF Open Door Fellowship gives students a chance to practice law in a "hands-on" environment while making connections in the legal field. This experience prepares first year students for their legal careers and is awarded to students who have shown a commitment to promoting "diversity and inclusion through their activities, background and life experiences," according to the NCBF website.

During her NCBA/NCBF Fellowship, Mendoza-Acosta will have the opportunity to work in the City of Durham Attorney's Office with Sofia Hernandez, who serves as a Senior Deputy City Attorney, and Anne Marie Tosco, a Deputy City Attorney.

"Through this fellowship, I will be working at the City of Durham Attorney's Office," Mendoza-Acosta wrote on a LinkedIn post. "Here, I will have the opportunity to assist in providing legal counsel and representation to the City Council, government departments and various City-appointed boards and commissions, through the guidance and supervision of various attorneys. I am beyond excited to apply and further develop the knowledge and skills I have gained during my first year of law school!

"I would like to extend a thank you to all my professors and mentors who have supported me throughout my first year of law school. A special thank you to Christiana Johnson, Mallory Underwood, and the entire Campbell Law Career Center team for helping me during this application process."

In her first year at Campbell Law, Mendoza-Acosta participated in the student-led Innocence Project and the 1L Townsend Kilpatrick Mock Trial Competition. She earned a bachelor's degree in Education, Human Development & Family Science and Public Policy with a minor in Social and Economic Justice from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC), where she graduated as Phi Beta Kappa in 2024.

Mendoza-Acosta has been a leader in outreach and communication efforts, serving as a former community organizer in Poder, North Carolina, a Health Educator at UNC's Women's Hospital and as the president of the Carolina Student Council of Family Relations. Her work has focused on advancing equitable public policy, building community and providing resources to the LatinX population throughout the state.

This competitive summer fellowship opportunity for first-year North Carolina law school students provides opportunities for students who have been "historically underrepresented in the legal profession, are first-generation college students or those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds."

Additionally, applicants are required "to be interested in practicing law in North Carolina, be enrolled full-time at an ABA-accredited North Carolina law school and have a demonstrated commitment to the NCBF's mission and values," the NCBF website states.

The other 2026 Open Door Fellow is Fangzhou Esther Dong, a rising 2L at UNC School of Law.

Fellowship highlights:

• Participation in a 10-week experience with an employer host that is arranged by the NCBA + NCBF;
• Participation in a professional development programming series coordinated by the NCBA + NCBF, including opportunities hosted by the NCBA Minorities in the Profession, Women in the Profession and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committees as well as the NCBA Young Lawyers Division;
• Payment of $10,000 over 10 weeks;
• Attend the NCBA June Annual Meeting as a guest and be recognized as an NCBF Open Door Fellow.

Learn more at this link.

ABOUT CAMPBELL LAW SCHOOL

Since its founding in 1976, Campbell Law has developed lawyers who possess moral conviction, social compassion, and professional competence, and who view the law as a calling to serve others. Among its accolades, the school has been recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) as having the nation's top Professionalism Program and by the American Academy of Trial Lawyers for having the nation's best Trial Advocacy Program. Campbell Law boasts nearly 5,000 alumni, who make their home in nearly all 50 states and beyond. In 2026, Campbell Law is celebrating 50 years of graduating legal leaders and 17 years of being located in a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of North Carolina's Capital City.

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