It is an honor to be selected as the first recipient of the Russell D. Jura Scholarship. I would like to thank Mr. Jura and everyone at King Hall who has made my experience in law school truly great.
I'm in my third year now, and everything people said about law school-the first year they scare you to death, the second year they work you to death and the third year they bore you to death-is all true. Law school is hard!
But so many great things happen...friends, confidence, teamwork, discipline. I learned to think on my feet, speak with conviction, work through difficult problems that have no answer, and to never give up. I discovered the satisfaction of pushing the limits and succeeding.
Most importantly, King Hall is a true community. I've made some of the best friends of my life here and have been continually impressed with the intelligence, dedication and fun-loving spirit of my peers. I've had a phenomenal time.
It is important that we all give back, whether financially, or with our time, our ideas, our mentorship, and our presence at events such as this, to keep King Hall the unique and thriving place that it is.
I hope that I will be able to give back some of what I have received here. Thank you.
Excerpt summarized from scholarship recipient speech at Distinguished Teaching Award and Recognition Ceremony held April 7, 2006.