Michael R. Addams

Michael's interest in public service grew in the wake of September 11, 2001, when he felt a strong calling to serve his country. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served a six-year active duty enlistment. He was stationed in Illinois, Hawaii, and Utah, and was deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition to his standard duties he served on the base Honor Guard performing military funerals and other ceremonial duties. He was also the president of the Hawaii chapter of Airmen Against Drunk Driving. Michael coordinated with 25 squadrons, the base command staff, and local businesses to provide training and services to reduce alcohol-related fatalities.

Following his active duty enlistment, Michael transferred to the Air National Guard where he continues to serve as a reservist. He attended Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and graduated cum laude in 2011 with a BA in Criminal Justice and a minor in Communications. As the general manager of KWCR, Weber State University's student-operated radio station, he coordinated with local sponsors to create the annual Hope for the Holidays food drive benefiting the Ogden Rescue Mission. He traveled to Guatemala in June 2010 as part of a microloan team, teaching budgeting and marketing skills to the women of a local Mayan community. There, Michael saw the importance of educating others to help themselves become self-reliant. That same summer Michael completed an externship with the Ogden Prosecuting Attorney's office. He felt another calling and applied to Gonzaga University School of Law.

Above all else, Michael is a devoted husband and father. He is excited to be studying at Gonzaga Law School in his home state of Washington and is honored to be a Thomas More Scholar.

Kevin Downs

Born in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in Montana, I grew up surrounded by an incredible family who taught me to appreciate life's many blessings. Through action and word, they have continuously reminded me to live a full life with the heart of a compassionate servant.

The theme of service was reinforced during my undergraduate studies at Carroll College in Helena, Montana. After graduation, I pursued service opportunities abroad, including building homes for underprivileged families in Tijuana, Mexico; living and working with adults with disabilities in a L'Arche community in Belfast, Northern Ireland; and managing an adolescent program for Farm of the Child, a Catholic orphanage located in Honduras. I returned home to continue my work in public service as an employee of the Montana Department of Justice where I focused on education and outreach to marginalized populations, including child abuse victims and Native American communities.

Building off these experiences, I see Gonzaga Law as the natural next step in my dedication to public service. I am honored to have the opportunity to study at this fine university and am humbled to be selected as a Thomas More Scholar.

Kris Riley

When my college psychology professor at Saint Mary's College encouraged me to volunteer for a crisis call suicide hotline, I was initially overwhelmed by the emotion and intensity of the experience. Eventually, after two years volunteering on the hotline and overcoming my initial hesitation, I realized that it had been one of the most valuable experiences of my life. I learned not just about the problems and intense personal tragedies faced by so many people in our society, but I also learned invaluable coping skills and realized that I had an aptitude for working with people in turmoil. As a result of this volunteer service, I came to the decision that I wanted to pursue a career in human services.

After graduating from Saint Mary's, I returned to my hometown of Reno, Nevada, to begin my career. I was fortunate to be able to find a job which allowed me to work in a helping service. I was Program Director for Care Chest of Sierra Nevada, a small non-profit agency that provides medical equipment and supplies to individuals who do not have health insurance. Prior to coming to law school, I worked for the past twelve years for the Washoe County Public Guardian in Reno, Nevada. The Public Guardian serves as guardian for individuals deemed incompetent by the court for a variety of reasons including dementia, traumatic brain injury, mental illness, and developmental disability.

 The most rewarding moments in my career have been working with individuals or families in crisis, providing protection to vulnerable people who have been abused or neglected, and contributing to the prosecution of individuals who perpetrate abuse.  My decision to enter law school came from a desire to do more to advocate for vulnerable people.  In order to effectively fulfill that desire, I need to advance my own education.  I am privileged to be a student at Gonzaga School of Law and very grateful to have been selected as a Thomas More Scholar.

Nicholas Serres

My desire to pursue a career path involving public service began when my graduation from Georgetown University approached, and I decided to spend the following year working for Jesuit Volunteer Corps: Northwest. During my volunteer year and in seven subsequent professional years, I worked as a teacher in Catholic schools in Montana and Iowa as a way of coupling my academic background in English and theology with my desire to help young people fulfill their academic potential. In my seven years in Montana, I taught economically-disadvantaged students on a Native American reservation, where it was my responsibility not only to educate young people in the subject-area content, but help them build academic and social habits grounded in accountability and building toward positive personal goals, while inspiring appreciation and enthusiasm for reading, writing, and Christian values.

My interest in law stems in part from my belief in accountability. At present, I am seeking a legal career in criminal prosecution, wherein I want to systematically and fairly apply my knowledge of law to hold people responsible for actions which destabilize society, and create unsafe environments for law-abiding citizens. As an educator, it was often among my responsibilities to manage the conduct of the students in the classroom. The purpose was not to wield punishment over those who strayed from proper behavior, but to attempt to foster an environment in which all students could flourish. In the context of my goals for a legal career, I am seeking to use my Gonzaga Law education to apply these principles of fairness, justice and accountability to citizens' behavior as a means of promoting safety in communities, and reinforcing basic social expectations.

Katie Shircliff

For as long as I can remember, community service has been an integral part of my life. Growing up, my International Baccalaureate program education fostered in me a mindfulness of the world-community's interrelated nature and compelled me to get involved in my hometown, Colorado Springs, Colorado. This personal resolve to serve my world only strengthened as I completed my studies at the University of Notre Dame. In addition to pursuing my degree in Political Science, Spanish, and the Program of Liberal Studies while working two jobs, I devoted many hours each week to service.

Dating back to my first experiences volunteering, the majority of my public service has consisted of working with children in an educational capacity. As a tutor, mentor, classroom helper, and playwright of children's theater, I have acquired important insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the American public school system. However, my intellectual interest in law and public policy has broadened my vocational scope, compelling me to pursue work and volunteer experiences in legal advocacy for children. I was fortunate to spend the summer preceding my senior year of college with the Human Services Department of the El Paso County Attorney's Office assisting the county attorneys with trial preparation for child abuse and neglect cases. Since then, I have continued to advance my skills and knowledge of child advocacy by volunteering in South Bend, Indiana and Spokane as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Upon graduating from law school, it is my goal to serve professionally as a legal voice for children, and I owe my future fulfillment of this dream to the Thomas More Program and the support of my wonderful friends and family.

Laurah Bernard

Growing up, my career goals were always focused on public service. During my undergraduate studies at Mercy College, I jumped from major to major trying to find the tool I could use to help my community. It was not until my senior year interning with the District Attorney’s Office in Yonkers, New York, that I realized I could commit to a career in law. One attorney I shadowed treated every victim as an opportunity to bring them a voice. This was the most impactful community service I had witnessed and I knew this was my desired future.

After graduation, I returned home to Seattle, Wash. Although inspired by the court system I did see inequalities in prosecution rates. I wanted to use my time after graduation for public service and serve the families of the prosecuted. I spent the next year in AmeriCorps VISTA, working with the Children of Incarcerated Parents Program. I visited the majority of prisons in Western Washington and became close to the families and offenders. I realized that there were more victims outside of those represented in the courts.

I spent another term with AmeriCorps, working as a reading coach in Seattle Public Schools. In many ways the inequalities I saw in the court room were not far from those in a first-grade classroom. This time it was children who were being influenced, which only fueled my fire to make a difference. Becoming a Thomas More Scholar is an honor that has made these goals attainable.

Michelle Fukawa

I applied to Gonzaga Law School because of its strong public interest law program and emphasis on social justice and, as an older student returning to school, I was thrilled just to be admitted. Receiving a Thomas More Scholarship was an unexpected and extremely humbling honor, and I hope to use my law education to pursue my interests in disability law and labor law.

Since graduating from Reed College in 1999 with a BA in Psychology, I have worked with homeless men in a shelter, determined eligibility for Medicaid and Food Stamps for the elderly and disabled, and helped abused and neglected children as a Child Protective Services worker in both Oregon and Washington.

My exposure to disability rights has been in the context of helping my clients. I have carried specialized caseloads of mentally ill and/or developmentally delayed children in foster care, sought supportive housing for homeless and mentally ill adults, and utilized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to advocate for the educational rights of disabled children. Witnessing how the disabled – and specifically the mentally ill – are ignored by society and government agencies has frustrated me numerous times over the past eleven years, and it has led me to this path in becoming a more effective advocate.

Protecting workers’ rights has also been an interest of mine and I became involved with the union as a State of Washington employee. In 2008, I became an AFSCME shop steward for my office and, in 2009, I was elected to the Executive Board of AFSCME. I have participated in Demand to Bargain meetings to fight massive layoffs in my division, and in Labor-Management meetings to address blatant safety issues in my workplace. My involvement in the union also provided me with opportunities to lobby the Washington state legislature, including providing testimony to a House sub-committee regarding devastating cuts being proposed to child welfare services. I have seen how the efforts of a few people can keep the workplace safe, prevent unnecessary layoffs, and influence legislation, and this has also led me to seek becoming a more effective advocate.

I am extremely grateful to the Thomas More Program for the opportunity to attend law school on this scholarship. It is my goal to continue serving communities as a public interest attorney, specializing in either disability rights or employee rights. 

Catherine Kardong

While community service work has always been a part of my life, it wasn’t until I was an undergraduate at Boston College that I decided to dedicate myself to public service work. As a (fellow) Jesuit University, there was a strong emphasis on social justice, public service, and becoming “men and women for others” within the courses and the larger school community. As a sociology major, I was able to explore the intellectual theories and philosophies on many of the social issues facing our world today and my desire to find ways to address these issues deepened. During my undergraduate years, I was able to work with a school district in its day care program; in government-funded housing for formerly homeless, HIV-positive residents; in an agency in Cambridge offering assistance to people to help find shelter, jobs, or government assistance; and with Catholic Charities in their battered-women housing program, homeless shelter, and with their fundraising campaign for donations.

While I have worked with many different populations, I decided after graduation I wanted the opportunity help the senior population because they are so often forgotten yet are in great need of strong advocates. When I returned to Spokane after graduation, I worked as a social worker at an independent living community operated by Catholic Charities of Spokane. While I greatly enjoyed my time in this position, and working with this demographic, there were many situations where I wished I could do more for my residents than what I was able to.

Throughout my work with many different groups, it became clear that many underlying problems people experienced were rooted in relatively uncomplicated legal issues and yet it seemed there were not enough strong advocates with command of the justice system who were fighting for them. This is what made me decide to attend law school. I want to be an advocate for the people who need it the most and I am honored to be a part of the Thomas More program which will help me achieve this goal.

Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin

Since attending Oberlin College I have believed that to most effectively change the world, one must start at home. Toward that goal, I spent the past seven years teaching science and doing community organizing in my hometown of Port Angeles, Washington. I worked at the grassroots level with my community to improve our relationships to each other and the land. I engaged myself in movements for indigenous rights, immigrant rights, anti-racism, peace/anti-war, sustainability, watershed conservation, ecological restoration, climate justice, and democratic governance.

In particular, I worked on youth education in collaboration with the Elwha Klallam community through the Elwha Science Education Project. I am honored to have co-taught with Elders and educators who are sharing their traditional knowledge, in particular the Klallam language, with the future generations of their community. I hope that in the future I can continue to support the Klallam community by defusing the prejudice in my own community.

In working for social change through education, I saw limits to the emancipatory power of education created by larger social, legal, and economic systems. While I value the direct service of being an educator, I am more drawn to the challenges of systemic change. I decided the practice of law is the most powerful way for me to work toward social justice.

Learning the law is an incredible investigation into the governing mechanisms of our society. I intend to use the knowledge and skills I learn at Gonzaga, in combination with community organizing and teaching, toward developing a free, egalitarian, and ecological society. Doing democracy is a process of building communities of empowered people. Thus, I see my future work as not just progressive policy-making, but also creating a community where many people work to make social change.

Alyssa Williamson

Shortly after graduating from the University of Hawaii with a joint major in International Business and Finance, I spent several months studying and traveling in China. I was able to volunteer at an orphanage and worked with severely disabled children. This experience convinced me that my life needs to be spent serving those in difficult situations. What I have to offer, however small it may be, can benefit someone.

Following my time in China, I joined with two women and began teaching English in a refugee camp in North Africa. Our program focused on providing a place for young women to go to for an hour or two a day. Because of the societal norms for women in that culture and that fact that, for most, schooling stopped after sixth-grade, they spent the majority of their day at home working to care for their siblings, to cook, and to clean. My classroom provided a place for the girls to exercise their mind, socialize with their peers, and begin to realize that they can make a difference in their society.

My four teaching terms in North Africa reaffirmed my passion for serving and advocating for those in difficult situations. It also helped me realize and refocus how I could go about doing this. I hope to able to serve people through the law by meeting them in their difficult circumstances and providing excellent legal advocacy.

Ailey Kato

When I was an undergraduate at Western Washington University, I was interested in examining social inequalities, which convinced me to take action after graduation. I joined Teach For America and moved to Los Angeles to teach high school English at one of the lowest performing high schools in Watts. I was shocked that so many students were not getting the education they deserved, but I also realized how much of a difference I could make in my classroom.

Following my two-year commitment in the Teach For America program, I became a founding teacher of a start-up charter high school that served the same student population. I worked with a dedicated group of teachers and administrators to build a school that achieved dramatic results.

I witnessed many injustices in the educational system, which increased my interest in issues of justice. After four years of teaching, I chose to work as a legal assistant at a Seattle law firm so that I could explore the possibility of becoming a lawyer. I am inspired that lawyers stand up for others, and they navigate the legal system for their clients.

Owen Mooney

My attraction to public service started as an undergraduate student at Gonzaga University. In my course work, I learned of the philosophy of service through solidarity, and my interest in exploring this idea motivated me to volunteer for various justice based organizations. I enjoyed developing relationships with the people I helped, and this intensified my aspiration to work in the interests of social justice.

In pursuing my interest, I chose to teach at a Title I high school in Brooklyn, New York, as part of Teach For America. Through my graduate work, I studied the theory of employing literacy as a catalyst for social progress in marginalized communities. With this theory in mind, I created a social justice based history curriculum targeting the students' literacy needs.

The challenges posed by educational inequity and poverty are great, and though I tried to address them through my pedagogy, I realized that my students needed more than lesson plans, exams, data, text books, letters home, and planning. They needed affirmation and care. This experience taught me the important lesson that one working for justice should acknowledge and act upon the shared humanity existing between his or her self and those being served, especially the universal need for compassion.

I want to continue the work I started as an educator by studying the law. Though it was hard to leave my work in Brooklyn, I look forward to furthering my education and using the law as a tool for progress by means of education, politics, and the empowerment of people and communities. I plan to combine my interest in education and law by starting a community organization that will house a school and offices that serve the legal and political interests of a low income community.

Lindsey Paxton

I became interested in community service and volunteer work as a teenager while accompanying my Dad on medical mission trips to Guatemala and trying to help out in any way possible. After my first trip, my life was changed and I began to search for ways to become involved in more community service work in Spokane, my hometown. In college at Pacific Lutheran University, I studied Social Work and Global Studies, thinking I would look for a job in a developing country doing relief work. However, while studying social policy in Social Work classes and studying abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico, during a period of social unrest, my focus changed from relief work to work for systemic social change. I became more interested in using the roles of policy advocate and community organizer in order to change unjust systems oppressing individuals.

Since then, I have had many opportunities to work with people, groups and organizations pursuing social justice.  My experiences have given me inspiration and ideas for my personal direction. After college I spent two formative and important years in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps as a Legal Assistant to Latino seniors at a San Francisco legal assistance organization and as a Workers' Rights Advocate at a Chicago Worker Center. During my time in LVC, I met several attorneys fighting for the rights of marginalized communities, and decided to apply to law school. I chose Gonzaga because of the school's strong focus on public interest law, and hope to develop knowledge and skills to advocate for and work alongside those seeking social justice.

Cherlyn Walden

I graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore with a degree in Sociology in May 2007. Through my studies my eyes were opened to the myriad social inequalities that face our society today and I happened upon my passion. As I learned more about the social inequalities in education, housing, banking, and more, I felt a sense of duty and obligation to be a part of finding solutions to correct the problems.

After graduation I moved back to Washington, where I grew up. As I thought about what it was that I wanted to do, one thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to do something that I could believe in, something that would be rewarding, something that could make a difference. I found the perfect fit as a full-time volunteer through the AmeriCorps*VISTA program with the Seattle Washington Reading Corps (WRC), a program of Solid Ground, where I served for two years. The WRC is a state-wide program that focuses on helping struggling readers reach grade-level through reading and literacy interventions, education, and outreach. Through that experience I saw first hand the things I had learned about in school and also had the opportunity to get involved in the community working on grassroots approaches to finding solutions.

I will never forget what my supervisor said to us in her welcome speech my first year. She said, "There is a very distinct difference between charity and social justice work... It is not about just helping people, it is about empowering people to be able to help themselves." That is what has brought me to law school. I feel incredibly blessed and honored to be a Thomas More Scholar, and I look forward to gaining the knowledge and skills to become a social justice advocate.

Laurel Yecny

When I graduated from the University of Portland in 2008, with a double degree in English and German, I wasn't sure what the next step in my life would be. When one of my English professors told me to consider law school, I just laughed him off. I spent that summer as a volunteer teacher in a tiny, rural village in Uganda. After growing up in a small, homogenous town on the Oregon coast, being in Africa drastically changed my perspectives on life. Most of the people I spent time with were virtually penniless, yet they insisted on showering me with hospitality and generosity beyond their means. And they did it all with genuine smiles and without any thought of reciprocation. I gave back what I could, and I left Africa knowing that I could not live a fulfilled life without continuing in the Ugandan tradition of doing for others all that you can with what you have.

The more I saw, and the more I thought about it, going to law school just seemed to click. Being in Uganda helped me realize that there are innumerable people in this world seeking the justice they need to live the lives they deserve. I want to be that liaison for the people who have been denied justice.

I have always enjoyed volunteering, from being a TA at Doernbecher Children's Hospital to reading with kids in the SMART Program. After my experience in Uganda I realized that I wanted to devote my life to helping others. This desire, coupled with my love of learning, made it clear that focusing on public interest law at Gonzaga was a natural progression for me. I look forward to my time at Gonzaga, and to gaining the necessary skills to help improve the lives of others, both here in America and around the globe.