Washburn Law Weigand Trust Recipients
Three Washburn Law Students Receive Nation's Largest Legal Education Scholarships
Joletta Friesen, Roarke Gordon and Eric Pauly were among eight students recognized as J. L. Weigand Jr. Notre Dame Legal Education Trust scholarship recipients at an open house held at the Bradbury Thompson Alumni Center on Tuesday, October 18, 2005. Scholarships are for the 2005-2006 school year.
Joletta Friesen is a third year student at Washburn Law. She graduated from McPherson High School in 1998 before receiving a Bachelor of Arts in History and Spanish from Bethel College in 2002. While a student at Bethel, Friesen earned a 4.0 grade point average, served as Student Body Senator, and was a Bethel College Dean's Scholar and a Veterans of Foreign Wars & Kansas Registrar Scholar. Despite her many successes, she lists the Weigand scholarship as one of his most meaningful accomplishments. Friesen is Editor-in-Chief for Volume 45 of the Washburn Law Journal.
Roarke Gordon is a third year student at Washburn Law. He graduated from Kapaun Mt. Carmel in 1999 before receiving a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Kansas in 2003. Gordon has been a teaching assistant for Professor Lyn Goering and is a Comments Editor for Volume 45 of the Washburn Law Journal. He has accepted a position with the Wichita firm Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLC following his graduation from Washburn Law in May, 2006.
Eric Pauly is a first year student at Washburn Law, beginning Fall 2005. Pauly was previously a Technology Consultant at CIO, Inc. in Shawnee, Kansas. He graduated from Conway Springs High School in 1999 before receiving a B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University in 2003. While a student at Colorado State, Pauly was a three-year starter and two-year captain on the Ram football team. He was presented with the C.S.U. Scholar Athlete Award and was named Verizon Academic All-American. He graduated Cum Laude and was the Fall Commencement Student Speaker for the College of Business.
The Weigand Scholarships — the largest legal education scholarships in the country — were established to offer assistance to law students from the state of Kansas. The scholarships provide for full tuition, fees, books, and a room and board allowance for selected students who have been legal residents of Kansas for ten years prior to their admission to law school. In addition to providing scholarships, the Weigand Trust assists scholarship recipients with career placement in Kansas during and after their graduation from law school.
J.L. Weigand Jr., a native of Wichita who returned to his birth city after earning a B.S. from Notre Dame and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown Law School, established the Weigand Trust to actively promote excellence in legal education and to encourage the most scholastically qualified Kansans to remain in or return to Kansas to practice law.
According to Karla Beam, Director of Admissions at Washburn University School of Law, the scholarships will play an important role in keeping Kansans in their home state.
"Washburn Law has a rich tradition of educating Kansas lawyers. I have no doubt that the legacy of the Weigand Scholarships will be felt for many years to come in the Kansas communities in which Washburn Weigand Scholars will live and practice law."
In announcing the scholarship recipients earlier this year, Claudette Glenn, Trust Administrator for The J.L. Weigand Trust said, "Through his commitment, sacrifices and generosity, Mr. Weigand established a legacy that will benefit Kansas law students for generations to come. What a tremendous gift to Kansas! We are very pleased to award a scholarship to these three Washburn students, and are confident that Kansans will benefit from their contributions to the legal community."
Other Weigand scholarship winners include University of Kansas law students Kristen Van Saun, Ivery Goldstein and Thomas Ruane and Notre Dame law students Chris McLemore and Caroline Walling.
See the Weigand Trust website for more information about Joletta Friesen, Roarke Gordon and Eric Pauley and Weigand scholarships.
(Posted October 19, 2005)
