Law school honors 2016 graduates for scholarship, leadership, service

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Law honored Class of 2016 graduates at a hooding ceremony May 14. During the ceremony, nine students received awards for distinguishing themselves in scholarship, leadership and service to the law school and the community.

The recipients:

• Ashley Akers, Casper, Wyoming, Justice Lloyd Kagey Leadership Award
• David Carrasco, El Paso, Texas, Janean Meigs Memorial Award
• Sara Fevurly, Lawrence, Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement
• Abby Hall, Overland Park, Robert F. Bennett Award
• Bryce Langford, Amarillo, Texas, Samuel Mellinger Scholarship, Leadership and Service Award
• Julia Leth-Perez, Benton, Janean Meigs Memorial Award
• Maureen Orth, Prairie Village, Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement
• Grecia Perez, Salem, Massachusetts, Class of 1949 Leadership Award
• Alexandra “Nicki” Rose, Topeka, Walter Hiersteiner Outstanding Service Award

Orth was also recognized during the ceremony as the banner carrier, an honor bestowed upon a student who has excelled academically and who carries the highest grade point average by the end of the fall semester in the third year of law study.

The award winners were part of a class composed of 110 recipients of the juris doctor and three doctor of juridical science graduates.

Funds for the awards are managed by KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment was the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

Student award recipients are listed below by hometown.

BUTLER COUNTY
From Benton
Julia Leth-Perez received the Janean Meigs Memorial Award, given to students who have demonstrated a caring spirit in service to the students of the law school or the community at large. Leth-Perez served as co-president of KU Law Student Ambassadors, leading a group of current students responsible for helping prospective students navigate the law school admissions process. She mentored and advised first-year law students as a Dean’s Fellow and served on the Dean’s Student Advisory Board. Leth-Perez worked as a legal intern at the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office and presented oral arguments before the Kansas Court of Appeals during her third year of law school. She is the daughter of John and Ellen Leth-Nissen and a graduate of Circle High School and Wichita State University.

DOUGLAS COUNTY
From Lawrence
Sara Fevurly received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement, which goes to the graduating student(s) selected by the faculty as having made the most significant contribution toward overall legal scholarship. Fevurly was among the top students in her class and published an article in the Kansas Law Review. She also served as an articles editor on the student-edited publication. She was a teaching assistant in the Lawyering Skills program, an academic tutor and a Shook, Hardy & Bacon Scholar. Fevurly also mentored first-year law students as a Dean’s Fellow. She lent her expertise to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta, Women in Law and the KU Law student division of the Federal Bar Association. She is the daughter of Jane and Chris Fevurly and a graduate of Lawrence High School and Oklahoma State University.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Overland Park
Abby Hall received the Robert F. Bennett Award, recognizing a graduate whose undergraduate degree is from a Kansas university or college and who has demonstrated leadership qualities through public service. As symposium editor for the Kansas Law Review, Hall planned and executed a highly successful symposium about sexual assault on college campuses. She mentored first-year law students as a Dean’s Fellow and taught a class in the School of Business for undergraduate students in legal careers. She was a member of Women in Law, Outlaws & Allies and Law Students for Reproductive Justice. As a volunteer for the Rose Brooks Bridge Program, Hall provided advocacy and support for victims of domestic violence in Kansas City, Missouri. She excelled as a member of KU Law’s Moot Court Council, finishing on the first-place team in KU’s in-house competition. She is the daughter of Jackie Millin and a graduate of Leavenworth High School and KU.

From Prairie Village
Maureen Orth received the Faculty Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement, which goes to the graduating student(s) selected by the faculty as having made the most significant contribution toward overall legal scholarship. Orth was the top student in her class by grade point average and earned the highest grade in several of her law school courses. She served as a note and comment editor on the Kansas Law Review and mentored first-year law students as a Dean’s Fellow. Orth was a member of Women in Law. She served as student director of KU’s Native American Law Students Association moot court program and argued on the team that brought home the 2016 national championship in that competition. As a Jayhawk Scholarship recipient, Orth attended KU Law on a full-tuition scholarship. She is the daughter of Jim and Trish Orth and a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School and Kansas State University.

SHAWNEE COUNTY
From Topeka
Alexandra “Nicki” Rose received the Walter Hiersteiner Outstanding Service Award, given to the graduate whose service to his or her fellow students demonstrates the greatest promise for contribution to the legal profession and society. Rose served for two years as a teaching assistant in the Lawyering Skills program and was an articles editor for the Kansas Law Review. Throughout law school, she has worked at KU’s Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity, helping to celebrate women at the law school and across campus. As a Rice Scholar, Rose attended KU Law on a full-tuition scholarship. She is the daughter of Monica and Mark Young, and Ray Rose, and a graduate of Washburn Rural High School and KU.

MASSACHUSETTS
From Salem
Grecia Perez received the Class of 1949 Leadership Award, given to the student who has contributed most significantly to the overall experience of students in Green Hall. Perez led the Student Bar Association as president during her third year of law school. She was also co-president of KU Law Student Ambassadors, leading a group of current students responsible for helping prospective students navigate the law school admissions process. Perez served as an ex-officio member of the Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council and a member of the Dean Mazza Review Committee. She is the daughter of Maria Perez and a graduate of Salem High School and Occidental College.

TEXAS
From Amarillo
Bryce Langford received the Samuel Mellinger Scholarship, Leadership and Service Award, given to the graduate who has most distinguished him or herself in the combined areas of scholarship, leadership and service. Langford was among the top students in his class and served as editor-in-chief of the Kansas Law Review. He tutored fellow law students and served as a student member of the Academic Affairs Committee and an ex officio member of the Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council. Langford finished among the top teams in KU’s in-house competition and, along with his partner, advanced to the regional finals of the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition, marking KU’s best finish ever in the competition. Langford is the son of Kyle and Zoy Langford and the husband of Sara Grace Langford. He graduated from Trinity Fellowship Christian School and West Texas A&M University.

From El Paso
David Carrasco received the Janean Meigs Memorial Award, given to students who have demonstrated a caring spirit in service to the students of the law school or the community at large. Carrasco was a strong leader for the Hispanic American Law Students Association, serving as president during his third year of law school. He played a significant role in planning and executing the 2016 Diversity in Law Banquet, which raised thousands of dollars for the law school’s Diversity Scholarship Fund. Carrasco also served on the Dean’s Diversity Leadership Council and was a KU Law Student Ambassador, guiding prospective students as they made important decisions about where to attend law school. He was a member of the Black Law Students Association and president of the Nontraditional Law Students Association, and he served as defense counsel and prosecutor in cases before the KU Court of Parking Appeals. Carrasco is the son of Isela and David Carrasco and a graduate of Montwood High School and the University of Texas, El Paso.

WYOMING
From Casper
Ashley Akers received the Justice Lloyd Kagey Leadership Award, given to the graduate who has most distinguished him or herself through leadership in the law school. Akers ranked among the top students in her class academically and served as a note and comment editor on the Kansas Law Review. She excelled in moot court, winning KU’s in-house competition with her partner during their second year of law school. She went on to capture the 2016 national championship in the National Native American Law Students Association Moot Court Competition. Akers served as a teaching assistant for the Lawyering Skills program and business law. She was a student member of the Academic Affairs Committee and a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board. Akers worked as a research assistant and was president of both the 3-to-1 mentoring program and the KU Law student division of the Federal Bar Association. Akers also served as a KU Law Student Ambassador, answering questions and shepherding prospective students as they considered attending KU Law. Akers is the daughter of Kristi and Mike Akers and a graduate of Natrona County High School and the University of Mary.