End-of-Year Awards Honor Excellence 

Every spring, Texas Law pauses to recognize the students and faculty who left their mark during the year. Standout writing, sharp advocacy, pro bono commitment, and student leadership earn recognition alongside faculty whose teaching and dedication earned lasting respect.  

“Texas Law is the greatest place in the world to be a law student, and there are a lot of reasons for that. The most important is the law students themselves,” says Assistant Dean for Student Affairs Elizabeth Bangs. “It’s our students who make this place come alive — who fill the halls with excitement, who cheer each other on and lift each other up, and who come to me with ideas about how we can do more and do better.” 

She adds, “There is no greater privilege than being able to support and champion our students as they make Texas Law their own.” 

Four celebrations this April put that on display.  

This year’s recognition spanned four events: the Beck Center Awards on April 15, the Peregrinus Awards and the Celebration of Service on April 16, and the Texas Law Fellowships Excellence in Public Interest Awards on April 23.  

The awards are sponsored by the Student Affairs Office, the William Wayne Justice Center for Public Service, the Student Bar Association, the Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program, the David J. Beck Center for Legal Research, Writing and Appellate Advocacy, and the Texas Law Fellowships organization.  
 

Peregrinus Awards

Student Affairs Office First-Year Student Award:
Emma Vorndran ’28

Student Affairs Office Society Program Leaders of the Year:
Katherine Doan ’27 
D’andre Watson ’26 

Student Affairs Office Graduating Student Awards:  
Angelina Ramirez ’26 
Joy Ohikhuare ’26 
Saskia Reford ’26 

William Wayne Justice Center Graduating Student Awards  :
Shelby Alexander ’26 
Gabby Trudo ’26 
Grant Shellhouse ’26  

Student Bar Association Teaching Awards

1L Professor of the Year: Susie Morse
Legal Research & Writing Professor of the Year:  Kayla Oliver 
Professor of the Year: Maria Ponomarenko 
Lecturer of the Year: Eliot Cotton 
Clinical Professor of the Year: Lucy Wood 
TMLS Faculty Member of the Year: Mechele Dickerson 
Women’s Law Caucus Faculty Member of the Year: Tara Grove 

Mithoff Pro Bono Program Recognitions  

Pro Bono Beacons recognize the three students from each class who completed the highest number of pro bono hours.

Twenty-eight Pro Bono Scholars were honored for their work helping to further the mission of the Mithoff Program. Selected at the start of each academic year, scholars plan and implement pro bono projects and conduct research, intake, and outreach. 

Students were honored based on the number of pro bono hours they dedicated this year and throughout law school. 

• Class of 2028 students who met the 1L 10-hour pro bono benchmark – 130 
• Class of 2027 students who met the 2L 30-hour benchmark – 64 
• Class of 2026 students who filled the 50-hour Pro Bono Pledge – 60 
• Class of 2026 students who gave 100 or more hours of service during their law school career – 14  

View the Peregrinus Awards 2026 photo album.

Beck Center Awards  

Thad T. Hutcheson Moot Court, 1Ls  (Class of 2028):
Champion – Maura Chapman 
Finalist – Erin Min Ying Feng 
Semifinalists – Eliza Jasani, Sarah Clark 
Quarterfinalists – Bryan Gilliland, Jared Lauri, Karthika Nambiar, Hannah Marie Stout 

View the Beck Center Awards 2026 photo album.

Excellence in Public Interest Awards,  Texas Law Fellowships 

Student of the Year: Shelby Lela Alexander ’26 

Faculty of the Year: Helen Gaebler 

Public Interest Attorney of the Year: Blue Ware

Private Interest Attorney of the Year: Radney Hamilton Wood