This week especially, many students have been struggling with how to balance the very real need for self- and community care with the equally necessary and unavoidable grind. Classes are tough, work is hard and finding friends and support can be a real challenge. It’s important to be kind to others, and it’s important to be kind to yourself. Here are a few small ways to effectively balance life and the never-ending workload.
1. Set your work hours.
This one is probably the most difficult, but in my experience, it is the best way to stay sane. Many students will talk about treating law school like an 8 to 5 (and in fact, one Ambassador has already made a blog post about it!), where you show up early, stay a little late, and get as much done as possible. It’s a popular tactic for many, especially students who are not used to school being their entire life again. Doing this allows students to leave work at the door – or even all the way back in Green Hall. Creating this boundary between schoolwork and home life can be crucial in stress management, and for me personally, helps make prioritizing much easier. The subjects that I really struggle with I keep at school, where I can talk to classmates and professors; the subjects that I truly enjoy, I still try my best to keep at school, but I certainly don’t mind reading about Fourth Amendment violations as bedtime stories.
2. Know when to walk away.
No one is perfect, and no one has unlimited patience. It’s important to know when you’ve hit a wall. This goes for schoolwork and for social outings. When you’ve gotten about as far as you can get with work for one class, sometimes it’s better to pivot to another subject instead of forcing yourself through. If you’re slogging your way through a conversation with someone who makes you feel disrespected or uncomfortable, you are not obligated to stay! If your situation stinks, you can hit the bricks. In this atmosphere, it often feels like optics are the most important thing. Everyone wants to be the smartest, or the most hardworking, or the nicest, and if no one else has told you, please let me – none of those things are more important than your well-being.
3. Eat!
This sounds obvious and silly, but many students prioritize reading just one more page or revising their brief one more time over stopping for a snack. And I get it – creating a reward system is pretty intuitive for many of us, and food is a fantastic motivator. It can also feel tough to pull ourselves away from our work when we feel like we’re in “the groove,” whether that’s classwork or club-oriented organizing. Often, whatever we’re doing just feels more important than having a full meal. But nutrition is not only going to keep you going, it’s going to make you a much more efficient machine. Take care of yourself.
As an out-of-state student from Virginia, I began to explore the Midwest and all the unique places to visit in Lawrence as a 1L. One of my favorite things to do is travel, whether in my home state of Virginia, saving up to visit family in Scotland or camping with my family and recently rescued dog, Agnes. My most recent adventure entailed a five-hour drive to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, with my co-pilot, Agnes.
My wanderlust tendency largely began in college. Traveling has been one of my outlets from school since my senior year of college. A few weeks into law school, I knew my travel bug would be a way for me to maintain balance, even if I merely daydreamed about future travel plans.
Keegan and her dog, Agnes, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
During my first year of law school, classes started out with a bang and before I knew it, October rolled around and fall break of my 1L year was on the horizon. I had the unique opportunity to travel with KU Law to Wichita for the 24 hours in the Wichita program. Through this program, I met with dozens of attorneys to speak about their experiences in the legal profession and in Wichita’s legal community all while seeing the expansive Flint Hills and city of Wichita.
Fast forward a year, after completing numerous first-year law school exams, memos and briefs and an internship with the U.S. Department of Transportation, I found myself edging towards another fall break as I learned about hearsay and witness impeachment in Evidence, and personal jurisdiction in Jurisdiction. I knew I wanted to spend time outside of Lawrence over break and explore more parts of the Midwest while in law school. As any law student would do, I researched where to find the best fall foliage within a five-hour drive from Lawrence and EUREKA!
Eureka Springs, Arkansas, popped up in my fall break search. As I delved into the history and community of this quaint town, I knew where I’d be spending part of my fall break. Agnes and I ventured on a five-hour trip, stopping in Fort Scott, Kansas, and the four corners to visit a new state for me: Oklahoma. After arriving in Eureka Springs, we did a self-guided tour of the numerous springs throughout the town as fall leaves fell to the ground. We walked the streets of Eureka Springs, finding bookshops, art galleries and coffee shops. After a wee bit of midterm prep, Agnes and I got a coffee and went to a local fall festival, driving along the mountainous roads filled with vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. While my trip encompassed two days, the colorful drive, kind people and memories allowed me to reset and realize the benefits of fitting in a community, even if one is a bit of a misfit.
A veteran’s journey from military officer to KU Law student
Stacy Zaleski, 2L Photo courtesy of Stacy Zaleski
While most of her classmates were studying and participating in extra-curricular activities in high school and undergrad, KU Law 2L Stacy Zaleski was stationed in Korea, Virginia, Colorado and Hawaii. With two degrees and a decade of military service under her belt, the Army veteran decided there was only one logical next step: law school.
Before KU Law, Zaleski held various roles in the U.S. Army, including logistics officer and executive officer, serving both domestically and internationally. Her connection to the military runs deep, beginning with her involvement in her high school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) and continuing through her participation in the ROTC programs at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis).
In 2012, Zaleski commissioned out of UC Davis as a second lieutenant. In 2016, she met her now husband in Virginia and decided to tie the knot after just three months due to the sporadic nature of military stationing. Now, eight years later, they reside in Manhattan, Kansas—one as an Army Major and the other as a law student.
Zaleski has always been driven by a desire to help others. During her time in the Army, she often assisted fellow soldiers with personal challenges.
“One of my favorite things in the whole world is to help people and to be a mentor,” she said. “My favorite part about being in the Army was when soldiers had questions or issues with their families or their jobs, and we could just sit and talk, and I could offer them advice.”
This passion for helping others pushed her towards a future in the public interest field, but it was her eagerness to learn that ultimately led her to law school.
Zaleski studied linguistics at UC Davis and earned an MBA in logistics online while in the Army. Because she completed grad school online, she felt jealous of students who were able to attend in-person classes and events.
While stationed in Hawaii, Zaleski decided to retire from the military. She always had the thought of going to law school in the back of her mind but didn’t find it feasible during her military career. With her newly open schedule and the GI Bill’s promise of a free degree, Zaleski decided she would start preparing for law school.
Zaleski and her husband Photo courtesy of Stacy Zaleski
“I realized I could do it, and that I could continue in a professional setting in a competitive career. I could use my brain again, and I could have a job that could carry me through the rest of my life,” she said. “The Army breaks you physically after several years, but you can be a lawyer for a really, really, really long time.”
Before choosing KU Law, Zaleski applied to 34 law schools—not from indecision but due to her husband’s unpredictable military assignments. Fortunately, the Midwestern stars aligned when she was accepted to KU Law, and her husband secured a position at Fort Riley.
For Zaleski, the stresses of law school pale in comparison to her military experiences.
“These youngins don’t know. It wasn’t a nine to five. It was whenever the Army said you wake up and go to PT at the butt crack of dawn to whenever you’re done with the day. Law school is a blessing compared to it,” Zaleski said.
During her first year at KU Law, Zaleski, like many other law students, felt overwhelmed. This didn’t stop her from joining a few extracurriculars like the Kansas Law School Military & Veterans Society and Women in Law.
“It’s kind of silly but the Army didn’t really care and would say ‘we’re all equal’ and had some basic female mentorship programs,” she said. “I’m the 2L rep for the Women in Law program which I’m really proud of – to be a part of and help other women go through this process.”
Zaleski and classmates at Legal Career Options Day Photo courtesy of Stacy Zaleski
Every year, KU Law’s Career Services Office hosts its Legal Career Options Day event for first-year students. At this event, nearly 100 representatives from employers across the region come to KU. Because Zaleski is a non-traditional student at KU Law, she sometimes feels like an outsider, but at this event, she felt no different than the other students.
“I felt like I really belonged. They were eager to tell me about the profession and invite me to see what they do. They didn’t care that I was a non-traditional student. It didn’t matter. It was just exciting to really get a taste and to see part of the profession,” she said.
After her 1L year, Zaleski was able to put the skills she learned in Green Hall to use as a summer associate with the Army Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps Office at Fort Riley. While there, she was able to shadow civilian attorneys and advance her knowledge on topics like labor and fiscal law. Now, alongside her classes, the 2L is an extern at their legal assistance office. Zaleski plans to intern at the Kansas Legal Services Office in Manhattan next summer to continue her work in the field.
“I’m definitely interested in public interest, like something where I can continue to serve the community in some way, shape or form,” she said.
Zaleski knows that although her time in the Army may be over, she can live by the lessons it taught her. She said she often tackles difficult situations using a tactic she learned in the Army called an operations order.
“Identify what you want, make a list of all the steps you need to do, and then just do it. If there’s a problem or anything, circle back,” she said. “There’s nothing so hard in life that you can’t overcome with the right help and the right resources and the right support.”
Transitioning from soldier to civilian life can be daunting, but Zaleski encourages other veterans to take the leap of faith, even when it seems intimidating.
“I think the hardest part in pursuing a dream or a goal is that you don’t know where to start. You don’t know how to do it,” she said. “For anybody interested in law school, just do your research and ask questions. Don’t be scared.”
As Zaleski continues through law school and prepares to reenter the workforce, her mission remains clear: to be a guiding light for others who have walked a similar path. She is determined to offer support and encouragement to those navigating their own journeys, ensuring they never feel lost or alone.
One of the best parts about being a student at KU Law means you have access to the same facilities as KU undergraduate students – and given that Green Hall is within KU campus, you have all the more reason to explore these areas! Below, I discuss three of my favorite places on KU’s Campus (that aren’t Green Hall):
First is the Ambler Recreation Center, which many students call “The Rec.” Like all other KU students, students at KU Law can access Ambler Recreation. For full-time enrolled students (12 or more credits for law students), KU charges a “Wellness Fee” which is included in tuition, meaning you can go to The Rec without having to pay an additional fee!
However, if you wish to participate in classes, such as yoga or Pilates, you can buy a Fit pass for access to classes at The Rec. It is $50 for unlimited access to all fitness classes at The Rec for the full semester, although there are options to buy a pass valid for half the semester or even access to one class.
For those who are apprehensive about large gym crowds, going to The Rec between 6 and 9 a.m. or 8 and 10:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday tends to be pretty relaxed. As for a gym playlist, I can’t work out without having Chief Keef, Kanye West or Playboi Carti on.
As a KU Biology undergraduate, the Natural History Museum holds a near and dear place to me. The Natural History Museum spans four floors – and on the fourth floor, you can view the largest Mosasaur found, a Tylosaurus fossil specimen! In fact, in 2014, the The Kansas State legislature declared the Tylosaurus the official state marine fossil.
KU has an impressive Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) program and the KU Biodiversity Institute hosts a massive research collection. In particular, KU has one of the largest herpetological collections in the world. (Note: Herpetology is a discipline that spans reptiles and amphibians). A little known fact is that you can schedule a public tour of KU’s research collection, although you must do so at LEAST two weeks in advance.
While I’m not a fan of amphibians, I would say that Cerastes cerastes (the Saharan horned viper) and Laticauda laticaudata (the blue-lipped sea krait) are two of my favorite reptiles.
The Spencer Museum of Art, also called the Spencer, is a free art museum on campus that is directly associated with KU. The collection hosts tens of thousands of pieces of art, including some pieces from renowned artists such as Édouard Manet and Pablo Picasso. While none of Manet’s pieces are on display, two of
Picasso’s works (in the earthenware and clay mediums) are currently on display.
The Spencer also has exhibitions on display; one of their current exhibitions is of the red-crowned crane as observed in East Asian art. This exhibition runs through the end of this year. As a KU Law student, you can do more than just view the exhibits. There are several ways to get involved with the Spencer, such becoming a volunteer or joining the museum’s Student Advisory Board.
When University of Kansas School of Law Dean Stephen Mazza was a boy in Huntsville, Alabama, the legacy of his family’s giving towered over him.
“When my great uncle immigrated from Italy and settled in Alabama he helped build the Catholic church in town with a significant donation,” Dean Mazza explains. “Every generation of my family since has made a significant contribution to the church and it stands as an example of dedication to a cause. When I was younger it was instilled in me to be generous to those who have helped you on your journey.”
Dean Stephen W. Mazza
With that in mind, Dean Mazza has led the School of Law by example, establishing the Stephen W. Mazza Dean’s Opportunity Fund through his estate plan. Initially created in 2010, Dean Mazza recently doubled his commitment.
“I established the fund to help future deans of the School of Law,” Dean Mazza said. “When we plan for the academic year, budgeting is a major aspect and an inexact science. Having discretionary funds to help offset unforeseen expenses can relieve a lot of stress and help keep the focus on teaching future lawyers. The fund is to be used on whatever the current dean of the School of Law sees fit. Maybe it’s to help a faculty member travel to a conference or assist in a research project or maybe reward faculty for a job well done. Having some discretionary funds can go a long way in helping the dean of the school accomplish goals.”
Mazza, currently the fourth-longest serving law school dean in the country, credits former faculty for inspiring his generosity to the school. In fact, he’s the current beneficiary of an opportunity fund.
“I’m very grateful to former Dean Jim Logan who established a similar fund,” Mazza said. “Our current faculty are benefiting from his forward-thinking generosity and I’m happy to continue the tradition started well before me.”
During her time as a legal intern for the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, third-year KU Law student Logan Quackenbush put the skills she learned from her professors in Green Hall to real-world use.
Quackenbush participated in the internship as part of the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program at the University of Kansas School of Law in the summer of 2024.
“Having the opportunity to do this and to work with such wonderful people who not only cared about their jobs, but their community and the next generation of attorneys really was phenomenal to me,” she said. “It reinforced that I want to be a criminal prosecutor and that I wanted to be like these people who care about their community.”
What type of work did you do through the field placement?
I worked with the deputy attorney who heads the misdemeanor department with the Shawnee County District Attorney. It was all hands-on work. I wrote plea offers, learned how to write journal entries, prepped motions—motions to revoke diversion and competency motions—and got to speak on the record.
I’ve had opportunities to go see Child in Need of Care (CINC), watched felony and juvenile trials, and have helped with the extra work attorneys have. The attorneys also took time to teach me about their department. I knew I wanted to be a prosecutor, but prosecutors do a wide variety of things. So, it was nice when the attorneys would tell me all about what they do and how they work with the statutes for that specific area of law.
My supervising attorney, and the mentor who showed me what a caring prosecutor looks like in action, was Deputy District Attorney Jason McIlrath. He is the head of the intern program, and I credit my success to him.
The skills my professors have taught me were applied in my field placement. Going to school, I haven’t seen them being applied. So, I was finally applying all the skills I was taught and that was a big relief.
My favorite thing was that I got to argue sentencing for a really serious crime, and the judge ended up ruling in the state’s favor. That was exciting for me because it felt like a win, and that I was helping the community improve.
Are there skills you developed or improved working with the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program?
Every time I’d go into the courtroom, I was taking notes or filling out journal entries so that everything I did would be documented through a paper trail. I did not realize how often and that with literally everything you do, you’re going to fill out paperwork.
Now I know how to fill out a wide variety of traffic documents and take notes for the DA’s office. That’s a skill that I feel is obvious to a law student, but none of the classes I’ve taken had me do that in-depth.
I feel so much more confident and comfortable being in the courtroom and feel like I could go by myself and know what I’m doing and what I’m looking at. I’m proud that I’ve learned it, and it makes me feel confident going into a job post-grad and post-bar, where I’m the attorney.
How do you think this experience will impact the rest of your time in law school or the start of your career?
Getting to see a defendant, a victim and a witness firsthand has shaped how I view cases. When I see people, I see them at the very bottom of their lives, really going through a hard situation. You don’t get that when you just read a case. I take a minute now when I read a case and understand that these are real people who are going through something. It has truly helped me have more empathy and be an overall better person.
Also, my writing skills have improved because I’m not just sending what I’ve written to my professor. It will be going to a judge, and that is a whole different weight of expectations. I take all my writing assignments seriously, but my field placement has strengthened my professional writing skills rather than scholarly ones.
My field placement ended up turning into a job offer in the end. I still have my student license, and I’m still working with the DA and doing everything that I did over the summer. I’m just getting paid for it now, which has been really nice. It’s also helped me gain connections because I’m from Kentucky, so I don’t know a lot of people in this area.
What has been your favorite part of working with the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program?
Myfavorite part was probably that we had to take journals. We made goals at the beginning of the program, and that was something I wouldn’t have considered doing if I hadn’t done the field placement. Those goals and things I wanted to achieve were always at the forefront of my mind and something that I was constantly working towards. Because of that, I achieved those goals during my field placement. There’s just something about being able to take something off a list that really gives you a sense of accomplishment.
What would you say to law students considering enrolling in the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program?
Do it, especially if you want to be a prosecutor. This will give you hands-on experience that will be unmatched by any other experience that you could have. The opportunity to work under a practicing criminal prosecutor to build connections and have a professional mentor will be so valuable and will help you transition from law school to a working, successful attorney.
I’m really excited to go into that next chapter of life. I’ve been in school for 25 years of my life. Transitioning to not being in school is going to be really different for me. Because I did this field placement, it really curbed that nervous energy that I could experience.
It was, hands down, the best decision I made in law school. Having the opportunity to work with such wonderful people who not only cared about their jobs, but their community and the next generation of attorneys really was phenomenal to me. It just made me feel so excited to go to work every day, and that experience was something that I cherish. It reinforced that I want to be a criminal prosecutor and that I wanted to be like these people who care about their community.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I want to say thank you to the Criminal Prosecution Field Placement Program for fostering an environment of hands-on learning that sets students up for success. Also, a thank you to the Shawnee County District Attorney’s office, along with Deputy District Attorney Jason McIlrath and Assistant Attorney Cody Smith, for mentoring me. This experience has been so amazing for me, and I want to give credit to those who have set me up for success
