Student and Alumni Stories
Chicago-Kent is home to an amazing community, with a diverse range of interests and backgrounds. Browse our stories below for pictures and perspectives from our students, recent graduates, and alumni of note.
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Breaking Traditional Ground
- Immigration Law 1991 and 1999
Vivian Khalaf ’91 and Omar Abuzir ’99 have taken a lot of trips to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport over the past several years. Not to get on a plane. Not...
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The Conduit
- Legal Innovation and Technology 2021
Ben Jackson went to law school to reduce the need for lawyers. “The law really belongs to ordinary people. A lot of times by having lawyers in the process, we...
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Seeing Both Sides of Immigration Law
- Immigration Law 2003
When Catherine Paler-Amaya ’03 refers to herself as “a government person,” she’s speaking from experience. A lot more experience than most. Throughout her career she has worked for three federal...
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Environmental Law 2.0
- Environmental and Energy Law 2017
“You don’t want your career to ride on the coattails of something that was hot 20 years ago,” says environmental law attorney Caitlin Ajax ’17. She’s not just talking about...
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Environmental Law in the Fast Lane
- Environmental and Energy Law 2005
“What really motivated me to go into environmental law was having a child,” Yesenia Villaseñor (’05) says. Before applying to law school, Villaseñor was environmentally conscientious to a T: using...
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A Love for Labor Law
- Labor and Employment Law 2022
When Enrique Espinoza ’22 first enrolled at Chicago-Kent College of Law years ago, he was just hoping to get a job helping immigrants like himself. After working for decades in...
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Pro Bono at the Border
- Environmental and Energy Law 2013
Samantha Wolfe’s first trip to Dilley, Texas, was a tear-filled eye-opener. She traveled to the South Texas Family Residential Center, about 60 miles from the Mexican border, to hear more...
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Goliath Tamer
- Environmental and Energy Law 1988
Those who know Keith Harley '88 call him cerebral, stoic. He shies from the spotlight. During meetings and depositions, he maintains a poker face as he patiently inscribes notes. “I’ve...
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Meet Micah McClendon-Smith, Class of 2021
- Criminal Litigation 2021
Go to work for the state’s attorney’s office, or the public defender? On one hand, it was a simple choice of internships—a short-term stint. On the other, Micah McClendon saw...
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A Trailblazing Defender of Disability Rights
- Public Interest Law 2021
There was a time, between going to school and working three jobs, when Natasha Crespo had to take a hard look at her priorities. The first in her family to...