How was your summer?

It was great! I had time to visit my family in So Cal, clerked at De Castroverde Law Group, attended the International Academy on Law and Mental Health Conference in Rome where I presented – with fellow Boydian and friend Ariana Caruso – on Medical Legal Partnerships, and attended the Annual ABA Meeting in San Francisco. I honestly can’t complain!
 
What made you decide to leave your native California for Fabulous Las Vegas and the Boyd School of Law?

I mean, who wouldn’t want to attend the best law school in Nevada?! The tight knit legal community in Las Vegas and the

You were a special education teacher in the Washoe County School District for several years. Tell us about that experience.

I worked in special education for almost 10 years in Reno. The students I had the opportunity to work with are amazing individuals with moderate to severe disabilities, including intellectual disabilities and autism. I was able to learn a lot about myself from working with them. They are, and will forever be, a huge inspiration to me. They showed me that no matter how hard something seems, you can accomplish what you set out to do if you truly believe you will.

What

Prior to your arrival at Boyd last August, you worked for the U.S. Department of State. What stood out about that experience?

Very often, whatever was happening in the news had direct effects on our daily work, which made for some rather interesting and challenging days at the office. More personally, what stood out about my experience is that my job brought me to places I may have never had the opportunity to visit otherwise, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, and Austria.
 
Tell us about your studies at the University of Oklahoma as a Truman Scholar.  

My years

Tell our readers about your grandfather and the influence he's had on your professional goals.

My grandfather is Judge Addeliar Guy III. He became the first African American Deputy District Attorney in Nevada after moving from Chicago. Then in 1975, he became the first African-American District Court Judge. He also served as an alternate on the Nevada Supreme Court. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away when I was young, so my memories of him are limited. Fortunately, pursuing law has provided me with a new picture of him. It is humbling to hear lawyers, judges, and people in the

You are a law student, your husband is in the Air Force, and your kids are...well, kids. Is making all that work as challenging as it sounds?

It is a balancing act and team effort! My husband and I are constantly comparing schedules for the family. I have also learned to ask for help! At times, this has meant having family travel to Las Vegas to help with the kids when my husband is away on assignment with the Air Force. It has taken a village!

How did your work as a paralegal with 2002 Boyd alum Leah Martin inform your decision to go to law school?

I was a paralegal for 10 years prior to

As an undergraduate at St. Mary's College of California, you majored in "Great Books." Which of the 'great books" do you hold above all others?

It is the Odyssey. I wrote my senior thesis proving Odysseus’ journey home was a dream, using Life is a Dream and the Leviathan. It changed Odysseus’ journey from a hero’s quest to a dream full of symbolic lessons and encounters he needed to learn before he returned home from war.

You love puzzles. What kind of puzzles do you find the most fun and/or challenging? 

I enjoy riddles most of all. I’m a big fan of wordplay. I also enjoy crossword puzzles

From earning a bachelor's degree in French Studies at Portland State University to the brink of earning a JD at Boyd 10 years later...a lot probably happened in between, yes?

It certainly did! After getting a degree in French Studies, I was a freelance make-up artist for a while, and if you could do that in the Pacific Northwest and also eat, I would still probably be doing that today. I ultimately became the Cosmetic Department Assistant Manager for Nordstrom but had no desire to pursue a career in retail. I took a job with Chase Bank and, five years later, was a Private Client and Small

Tell us about your undergrad years studying chemistry at Syracuse University? 

It was rigorous and challenging. Biology, physics, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and biochemistry were among the spectrum of classes required for my major. Learning to admit which skills needed more work, or that I needed to develop, to perform well became a great lesson before entering the real world. It wasn’t the best feeling when I stayed in all weekend to study while my friends were out enjoying themselves, but through that, I had to develop a level of discipline and balance which has proven helpful

As an undergraduate at UNLV, you studied in China for a semester. How did that go?

It was a fantastic experience. I went my sophomore year and ended up living there for about six months. I backpacked a lot, immersed myself in the culture, and experienced a country completely different from ours. I believe it was my first real culture shock and actually became a real advantage for law school — learning how to forget everything you thought you knew and trying to see things from new perspectives
 
What class at Boyd was the most challenging for you?

The most difficult class at Boyd for me would

Tell us about your work last summer in the Governor's Office in Carson City.
 
I had the fortunate opportunity to work on a number of things. I helped write and edit the final report of the Governor’s Committee on Energy Choice. My first task was to learn all that I could on energy deregulation. The Committee itself was tasked to find out all that they could about energy deregulation, Question 3, and come up with a report proposing recommendations to the members of the next legislative session and detailing their findings. The other work that I did this summer was with writing a Bill Draft