El Paso native finds her niche at KU Law

Challenging coursework, enriching leadership experiences, practical learning opportunities recipe for graduate’s success Sylvia Hernandez is the first to note that her transition to law school wasn’t an easy one. Moving from El Paso, Texas, to Lawrence required a big adjustment and new perspective. “In El Paso I never saw myself as a minority,” Hernandez said. “However, here in Kansas and …

Business owner, student, mom

Graduate’s student experience enriched by expanding roles Some babies are rocked to sleep with lullabies. Taylor Ray’s daughter Emma was lulled into slumber with voice recordings of Professor Webb Hecker’s Mergers and Acquisitions lectures. In the midst of an enriching 2L year serving as president of Women in Law and staff member on the Kansas Law Review, Ray added a …

Building confidence through the Criminal Prosecution Clinic: Thomas (T.C.) Penland, L’15

As an aspiring prosecutor, the Criminal Prosecution Clinic was one of the factors that drew T.C. Penland to KU Law. “I knew about the clinic through the admissions process,” Penland said. “That was one of the things that pushed me toward KU. I went in with full expectation of participating in the clinic.” The Criminal Prosecution Clinic has two components: …

Speaking and listening: Bill Walberg & Kasper Schirer, L’15

Before he enrolled in the Legal Aid Clinic, Bill Walberg described his communication skills as “lacking.” “I had a terrible fear of public speaking,” he said. “My first oral argument I panicked and could barely get my argument out. I wanted experience in an uncontrolled setting like the courtroom, and that’s what the Legal Aid Clinic provided for me.” Within …