Colorado Law alumni,
As I begin my new role as chair of the Law Alumni Board, I find myself reflecting on my time at Colorado Law and my experiences as an alumna. My experience with Colorado Law is defined by the relationships I built with classmates, faculty, and staff and the opportunities that Colorado Law afforded me.
Without a doubt, the best part of law school for me was the friendships and relationships I built in my three years in Boulder. Since graduating, I have been welcomed and supported by the larger alumni community. I feel genuinely lucky to have attended Colorado Law because of the people I have met as a result.
The opportunities Colorado Law provided me while in school and since graduating have been life changing. As part of the state’s flagship university, Colorado Law is engrained in communities and organizations across the state. Like many students, I was fortunate to receive scholarship assistance. The financial support of the law school allowed me and many of my peers to seek out volunteer opportunities that taught us more than a classroom alone ever could.
I am heartened to see that Colorado Law’s commitment to ensuring that all students have access to opportunities continues to expand. Those who attended the Law Alumni Banquet heard from two law students, Jemil Kassahun '24 and Larrisa Alire '23, recipients of the Leaders in Law and Community (LILAC) Fellowship. Jemil and Larrisa wowed us with their dedication to making the law school better, their commitment to service in their communities, and their passion for their legal educations. They also acknowledged that without LILAC and the scholarship it provides, they would not have been able to attend Colorado Law. Our community is better and stronger because of students like Jemil and Larrisa and programs like the LILAC Fellowship.
Meeting students and observing the remarkable work being done across the law school underscores the importance of Colorado Law’s unwavering commitment to building and supporting a talented, diverse, and engaged student body, faculty, and staff, and creating an environment where all members of the law school community can thrive. The Law Alumni Board continues to support the law school in these efforts and to expand opportunities for alumni to engage with the law school and law students.
As we begin the new school year, I invite you to begin, continue, or expand your support of Colorado Law. Donations to LILAC, the Dean’s Fund, scholarships, and/or clinics; engaging with the law school through mentoring, mock interviews, extracurricular competitions; and promoting the law school in our communities and networks all help to ensure that the next generation of students have access to the same (or better) opportunities that made our law school experiences so impactful. The members of the Law Alumni Board and I hope to engage with our alumni community throughout the coming year. Mark your calendars for Homecoming (Nov. 2-4, 2023) and the Alumni Awards Banquet (March 14, 2024) for opportunities to gather and celebrate Colorado Law and our community.
Sincerely,
Caitlin McHugh