Jessica Patton

You're from the northwest, growing up in Idaho and studying as an undergraduate at Willamette University. What made you decide to depart for Las Vegas and Boyd?

When I visited Boyd, I was amazed at how welcoming and supportive the community was. I had heard horror stories about the hostile atmospheres of most law schools, and Boyd didn't feel like that at all. The scholarship offer wasn't bad either.

What is the number one lesson you learned last year as a 1L that you are applying now as a 2L?

Honestly, school isn't everything. Do your best, and focus on learning things that are valuable to you, but don't sacrifice your own well-being or personal life for a letter on your transcript or a line on your résumé.

Last year, you helped create a new student organization, Students for Mental Health. What was your motivation? 

Mental health is largely overlooked in higher education. When it is discussed, it's often treated as a joke. This problem is even more pronounced in law school. Our lives are extremely stressful and competitive, but we don't always feel like we have a space to talk about it candidly. Student for Mental Health aims to be that space.

If given a wild card entry to any Olympic event, which would you choose? 

I would probably choose an equestrian event, since that is the only sport I would have any chance of doing well in or at least understanding.