     
|
|
Kate Wolfe '07 Law Hometown: Monroe, Maine |
|
"Growing up as a politically active kid on the East Coast, I always wanted to be Nina Totenberg," Kate Wolfe says, referring to National Public Radio's award-winning legal affairs correspondent. "I guess I still do." Kate is well on her way to achieving that kind of success, thanks to an impressive level of support from the UI College of Law and its private contributors. She received a full tuition scholarship through the Iowa Law School Foundation, which not only makes it possible for her to attend law school, but also motivates her to excel in her studies. Though she must maintain standing in the top quarter of her class to retain the scholarship, Kate doesn't mind the pressure. "I really appreciate having that fire under me," she says, "and it tells me that the school has confidence in me." Kate has already gained a wide spectrum of experience, much of which was made possible by private support to the College of Law. As part of her tuition-assistance package, she works as the public interest liaison in the College of Law's Career Services Center, helping direct other students to employment opportunities in public service. She is the president of the UI's Hammond Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta -- the coed service fraternity for law students -- and serves as a student staff writer for the UI's Transnational Law & Contemporary Problems journal, as well as sitting on the student-faculty committee for internal affairs and long-range planning. For Kate, involvement in the community is an important aspect of a career in law. "Every lawyer performs a public service to some extent," she says. "Being a lawyer means you care about the system and you believe the system works, no matter what setting you practice in." Kate is putting that assertion to the test. She worked during the summer of 2005 in the Muscatine County public defender's office, and she's and looking forward to another summer internship at a corporate law firm in Chicago. These experiences, in addition to her undergraduate stint as a radio deejay at WKCR in New York City, ensure Kate a wide-open career field when she graduates. No matter where she ends up, Kate knows that she'll start contributing to her alma mater right away. "Giving back to the community is really important to me," Kate explains. "The University and the Law School are now a big part of what I consider to be my community." "Besides," she says, "I could be paying back student loans. Instead, because of my scholarship, I can give money right back to the UI."
|
 |
|