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Greetings,
This week we continue celebrating the arrival our incoming class.
Our 131 new JD students come from 26 states, ten countries, and six tribal nations. The single largest group is from Arizona, but the majority come from outside the state, which has been true for some time.
The JD class is drawn from 65 different undergraduate institutions, and 18% already hold advanced degrees. Eleven of the 131 are Advanced JDs.
The class is diverse, strong, and deep. The traditional JDs were admitted based on their full academic, professional, and relevant personal experiences. Just under 20% of the traditional class were admitted based on the GRE.
JD student Jeneva Parks comes from right here in Tucson, with deep family roots in Arizona that underlie her deep interest in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and Latin American studies. Meet Jeneva below!
Until the footnotes,
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Jeneva Parks traces her decision to pursue a law degree back through her family tree and her experiences growing up in the Tucson community.
"I think I can trace the 'why' back to a century before I was born, when my ancestors emigrated from Mexico and settled in a small mining town about 70 miles north of Tucson called Hayden."
Another influence she cites is the city of Tucson itself: "You can't grow up here without exposure to immigration issues."
In addition to her family history in the region, Jeneva's father worked for the county's medical examiner's office during a time when migrant deaths were mounting. She says that these themes were invariably present in her home life. "It's a very personal issue for me."
After high school, Jeneva earned a BA in Latin American/ Latin@ studies with an emphasis on politics of the U.S.-Mexico border.
"Then, I took a hard left and became a preschool teacher. If you squint your eyes, you can see that that line of work is intimately connected to my being here now! It was a job that afforded me the opportunity to learn in a foundational sense what it is to be human, and to work with people from different cultures and walks of life. I focused on anti-bias and culturally sensitive education, which furthered my resolve to dismantle structural othering."
For someone interested in immigration law, Jeneva believes there may be no better place to study law than southern Arizona and Arizona Law. She is pursuing a dual MA/JD degree with the Latin American Studies Department, an opportunity not offered at many other institutions. Jeneva is also happy to be able to stay close to her family during law school.
Jeneva's primary area of interest is immigration law, and more broadly human rights law, although she is trying not to let her expectations become too crystallized.
"I hope to work with an organization whose aim is to create fundamental change with respect to the many injustices that this country's systems are built upon. I imagine there will be a lot of paperwork involved."
We asked Jeneva how she thinks about her goals as she enters law school amidst a challenging set of circumstances this semester.
"While I was applying to law school, I was thinking a great deal about what sometimes appears to be insurmountable inequity in this world. I was thinking about the many ways that oppression manifests in our environment, our schools, our places of work, and our own minds. Each time I reflect on these things, I am reminded of the fact that people always have and always will continue to help in ways big and small. This motivates me, and with no less vigor than it did yesterday or last year. I am perpetually driven by a desire to better understand the ways in which I can help."
Last but not least, Jeneva also wants us to know:
"I used to take improvisational comedy classes and I am so glad that lawyers are not judged by their ability to be funny."
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Judge Karen Adam ('76) Featured in Theater Production
The work that Karen Adam ('76) did involving foster children during her time as Presiding Judge of Pima County Juvenile Court was featured as part of a 2018 Arizona Daily Star series, "Fixing Our Foster Care Crisis."
Now, that series has been made into an online play by Tucson's Borderlands Theater. Judge Adam, portrayed by Katie McFadzen, is one of the play's six characters.
The play is called "Cycles" and opens on Thursday, August 27, at 7 p.m. with a free, virtual performance.
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Reunion Update
We have an important update about Arizona Law reunions for the classes of 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015. This information went out a few weeks ago via email to each class. If you did not receive the email, please get in touch so that we can verify your contact information.
As you can imagine, our decision as to how to proceed with reunions this fall was not made lightly. Out of concern for the health and well-being of our community, we have made the difficult decision to postpone all class reunions to a future date. We know this is disappointing. We share in the disappointment and regret that we need to delay the celebrations.
More information will be provided in the upcoming months about future reunion plans. We also hope to have more information on Homecoming 2020 to share with all alumni in the coming weeks.
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Download Your Arizona Law Digital Wallpaper
If you'd like to project a visual reminder of your pride in Arizona Law, you can select one of our digital wallpapers to use as your Zoom background. There are over a dozen to choose from.
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Join me in saying hello to one of our youngest Arizona Law Wildcats. Weston's dad is James Alvarez, Senior Media Specialist here at the college.
Love the enthusiasm! Weston Alvarez, JD 2045?
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KOLD, quoting professor Tara Sklar
Courthouse News Service, quoting professor Tara Sklar
See also, on our website:
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None of us will ever forget this unusual fall term, including, for the first time I can recall, having to postpone class reunions. We will miss gathering together this fall to celebrate.
The news as the campus opens, step-by-step, continues to be positive, and readily visible. This makes me hopeful as we look ahead to when we can be together safely as a community.
I am hearing great things about -- and from -- our new JD class. It has been a special moment to welcome Jeneva and her classmates.
Jeneva -- you join a community with broad interest in issues of migration, immigration, and human rights. Like many of your classmates, we celebrate the substantial experience in the world you bring as teacher, and as someone who knows this region. Again -- welcome!
Warmly,
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