Written By Shan Bates

Dionne Stanfilll did not have to look far from home for her internship, much less worry about how she would take to rural Nevada. She grew up in Spring Creek, only about 14 miles from Elko and the public defender’s office there.

Her summer job in the Elko County Public Defender’s office was no coincidence. “I know from experience that Elko needed this,” she says. “It sounded like they are in severe need for help, so I think it’s like ‘all hands-on deck’ anywhere that I can help.”

The internship fell between her first two years at Boyd Law, so Stanfill was open-minded

During her time at Boyd Law, Crystal Washington ('24) experienced two externships, which she says "reinforced my passion while exposing me to disheartening truth." When Crystal entered law school, she felt led down the path to family court, and both of her externships taught her so much about her chosen direction. In the fall of 2022, she externed for Judge David S. Gibson, Jr., while she worked at the Clark County Public Defender's Office's Juvenile Division in the spring of 2024. 

"With my externship experience, I have now seen it from the judge's side of the bench, as well as the attorney's

Born and raised in San Diego, Jacquelyn Zuniga-Calderon ('24) long had a professional goal to return to her roots to live amongst her entire family. During her time at Boyd Law, she externed for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada during the summer and fall of 2022, and she wanted to see how she could apply this experience in her Southern California hometown. Her next externship opportunity at the Legal Aid Center of San Diego brought Jacky the chance to work in San Diego during the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024 semesters— taking two online classes and gaining six externship credits

Written By Pat McDonnell

Makai Zuniga ('25) has ambitious goals. 

Perhaps that is because the president of Boyd’s Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) has already achieved a first for Nevada. In spring 2024, the local NALSA chapter won the bid to host the association’s 2025 National Moot Court Competition at UNLV.

“It’s an opportunity to bring in some of the best legal minds to judge the competition,” says Zuniga, a Juris Doctorate candidate who came to Las Vegas after graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He is a Northern

Third-year law student, Andrea Killebrew, was honored with the Eglet Adams Trial Advocacy Scholarship, a one-year, full tuition scholarship. 

Learn about a few of the many externships students have completed through the William S. Boyd School of Law's Externship Program. 

Like most sports fans who grew up in Las Vegas, D’Ahna Scott has had February 11, 2024, circled on her calendar for quite some time. The reason: It’s the day that Las Vegas will host the Super Bowl for the first time.

Like the vast majority of college football players, TJ Milk had to hang up his cleats following his four-year run with the University of Jamestown football team in North Dakota.

It’s not uncommon for law students to hold off on choosing a definitive career path until after completing their juris doctor. Amy Zhao certainly is someone who falls into that wait-and-see category.