On Friday, September 6, the Justice Center hosted its annual public interest orientation. Founded in 2013 by students, Change It Up! aims to assure 1L students of the feasibility of their social justice aspirations and introduce them to the supportive community and resources at Texas Law.
This year’s event was organized by law students Shelby Alexander ’26, Makenna McGraw ’26, and Angelina Ramirez ’26. “We all volunteered to plan this year’s Change It Up! because it was such an impactful experience at the start of our 1L years,” Shelby Alexander shared. “As a part of our planning committee work, we also created ‘A Beginner’s Guide to Public Interest at Texas Law,’ so that 1Ls could have information about all of the public interest opportunities at Texas Law in one place.”
The event was co-sponsored by the Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center, Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, Budd Innocence Center, Capital Punishment Center, and Career Services Office. Numerous student organizations also supported the event, including the American Constitution Society, Environmental Law Society, GRITS, If/When/How, Law Students for Black Lives, OUTLaw, Plaintiff Advocacy Litigation Society, Public Defense Group, Public Interest Law Association, Texas Health Law Society, Texas Journal on Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, and Texas Law Fellowships. Nicole Simmons, Director of the William Wayne Justice Center, expressed her gratitude, stating, “Change It Up! is an important introduction to the vibrant public interest community at Texas Law. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to the event, including its many cosponsors and volunteers.”
The orientation began with brief remarks from Professor Susie Morse, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who spoke about the value of public service and the law school’s commitment to supporting students in their pursuit of public interest law careers. Following her remarks, students enjoyed a networking lunch with local attorneys and Texas Law faculty and staff. Each table focused on a different social justice issue, such as Public Defense, Disability Rights, Environmental Justice, Immigration, International Human Rights, and Reproductive Justice.
The event concluded with a dynamic panel featuring alumni from various practice areas: Kirsten Budwine ’23, Policy Attorney at Texas Civil Rights Project in Houston; Zoraima Pelaez ’22, staff attorney at ACLU’s Reproductive Freedom Project in New York City; Anna Roberson ’20, staff attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid in San Antonio; and Evan Snyder ’23, attorney at Travis County Public Defender’s Office in Austin. Panelists discussed how they found their unique paths to public interest careers during law school, their advice for first-year law students, and how they engaged with the resources and support provided by the public interest community at Texas Law.
Reflecting on the significance of the Justice Center’s public interest orientation, Rhiannon Hamam ’16, panel moderator and supervising attorney with Texas Law’s Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program, shared, “Change It Up is an important opportunity for us to welcome new law students to the robust public interest community at UT Law. We want law students to know early in 1L that they have resources and a support system here for building towards the public interest career they’re passionate about.” Student organizer Shelby Alexander echoed this sentiment, stating, “Change It Up! is special because it’s not only an opportunity to learn about different practice areas of public interest law at the very start of your 1L year, but a chance to get to know other similarly committed students. We’re so grateful to all of the support from everyone at the Justice Center who helped make this year’s event a success!”
