SOL Lawyer Magazine_Summer 2021

MISSION

As a student, she took part in the elder law clinic and later was a legal fellow at the immigration clinic. Brenes, who now serves as the director of the Refugee and Immigrant Program at the Advocates for Human Rights, said her professors were as vested in the education of students as they were in their own research ambitions. “Now that I’m more than 10 years out, seeing how the law school has grown, continued to thrive and remained committed to its mission, is reassuring for the future of the profession – to know St. Thomas is still attracting attorneys who are committed to working for the common good,” Brenes said. “It’s exciting to see the work alumni are doing and where their leadership is within the community. That’s something that should make us proud.” Each year brings a fresh group of students who add new energy to the school, Berg said. It’s “exciting” to see the work they’re doing. “We have students working in Catholic settings, students working for equality and justice and there’s a wide range of people doing important work across different forms of social justice,” he said. The law school’s dean, Rob Vischer , said, to attract top students, the school must have a strong value proposition. This includes a building-wide focus on meaningful employment for our graduates, encouraging strong faculty- student relationships, the much- heralded mentorship program, and innovative learning opportunities,

Sarah Brenes

Yastril Nañez

St. Thomas and a rising 3L, Nañez was attracted to the law school because of its willingness to listen to students and do things differently. “Access to the law hasn’t always been available to everybody, and I think that as a society we are constantly evolving and changing. We’re questioning: What is the law? What should be the law? Should we change the law?” Nañez said. “Because St. Thomas is newer, it’s able to foster that kind of environment.” Nañez appreciates that professors and staff are invested in academic outcomes and students’ well- being. “That’s part of what makes St. Thomas distinct from other law schools,” she said. At St. Thomas, Nañez doesn’t feel like she’s just a number. “For them to know all of our names, that creates a completely different relationship in the classroom. Visiting Professor Rachel Paulose said the faith-anchoring values of the law school are compelling to

including the Interprofessional Center’s 14 legal clinics. Vischer said creating a strong community has always been a St. Thomas hallmark, but it has been challenging during the pandemic. However, through creative ways of thinking, those relationships have continued to be built. Staff and faculty have reached out to each law student to check in and see if they needed help. The community continues to formbonds outside of the classroom at social gatherings via Zoom and through a limited number of in-person events. “What is most encouraging to me about where we are as a law school, are the students that we continue to attract,” Vischer said. “They are fundamentally good, motivated, other-centered people.” A COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT Since she was a young girl growing up in Texas, Yastril Nañez has wanted to be a lawyer. A 2017 undergraduate of the University of

“To be able to impact students, so many of whom really do care about justice, and to expose them to not just the evil in the world, but to try to give them tools for overcoming that evil, has been incredibly impactful to me.” –  RACHEL PAULOSE

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