Few individuals are as dedicated to Illinois as Kelly. A double Illini, graduating with an undergraduate degree in integrative biology in 2002 and JD in 2005, she began her career at the College of Law right after taking the bar exam, serving initially as Assistant Director of Academic and Student Administration. Over the past twenty years, Kelly has continued her work with students, leading to her most recent position as Senior Director of Academic Administration and Student Records.

Known to students for her work in academic counseling and an always friendly presence in the Law Building, Kelly will be able to increase her interaction with students as the leader of the student services team. She has a strong commitment to helping make Illinois more than just a place to earn a degree and is eager to foster success in the student body in her new role.

“I am committed to supporting every student’s academic, professional, and personal growth,” she said. “Our student services team will be engaged with the vibrant student community to help foster belonging, leadership, and connection across diverse backgrounds and interests. Students won’t just study law here—they’ll find their people and their path.”

Evident by her tenure at the College of Law, Kelly has deep affection for the University of Illinois and the surrounding community, where she has proudly raised her family. We are very fortunate to have her as our new Dean of Students and look forward to seeing the great things Dean Salefski will help our students accomplish.

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Zawedde, whose thesis is being advised by Professor Colleen Murphy, will use the fellowship to continue her research on Dynamic Health Justice Partnerships in Uganda. She is also a graduate assistant in the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Global Strategies Office at the University of Illinois.

Read more about the Global South Fellowship.

Congratulations to all of our 2025 honorees!

Rickert Award for Academic Achievement

• Harley Cavallo
• Jack Eggman
• Hannah Emberts
• Niki Hakimzadeh
• Mackenzie Morgan
• Jack Mulligan
• Katy Rose O’Brien
• Connor Simpson

Rickert Award for Advocacy

• Andrew Gray
• Dane Grounds
• Niki Hakimzadeh
• Sahar Mithani
• Anxhela Ndrio
• Michaela Newton
• Vinisha Prajapati
• Jabari Turner

Rickert Award for Legal Writing

• Ben Ginsburg
• Jihyeon Angela Koo
• Kevin Meyers
• Audrey Nankervis
• Mia Neally
• Diego Nevares
• Connor Simpson
• Jabari Turner

Rickert Award for Service

• Afaaf Amatullah
• Rama Hamad
• Sue Lee
• Shil Mehta
• Anxhela Ndrio
• Sara Peal
• Sarah Shamsi
• Skye Wiberg

Read more about their research and website from Illinois Public Media.

Akanksha Balekai serves as the President of the University of Illinois chapter of the American Constitution Society and has been an active member of the national organization as well. 

“Her active participation and leadership both at the law school and in association with the national chapters has been exceptional,” Professor Rummana Alam said about Balekai. “She is so passionate and dedicated to positive change by shaping debate on vitally important legal and constitutional issues through the development and promotion of high-impact ideas.”

The American Constitution Society is a non-profit, non-partisan legal organization comprising a network of progressive lawyers, law students, judges, scholars, advocates, and many others. The ACS aims to support and advocate for laws and legal systems that redress the founding failures of our Constitution, strengthen our democratic legitimacy, uphold the rule of law, and realize the promise of equality for all, including people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and other historically excluded communities

Read the ACS press release about the 2025 Next Generation Leaders.

The Student Writing Competition represents AHLA’s commitment to fostering excellence in health law education and supporting the next generation of health care legal professionals. The award includes a $500 prize and featured publication of the winning paper on AHLA’s digital platforms. 

“Julia’s work exemplifies the innovative thinking and rigorous analysis we aim to cultivate within the health law community,” says Asha B. Scielzo, AHLA President. “Her unique background in human biology and regulatory affairs brings valuable interdisciplinary insights to complex health care legal challenges.” 

Sun brings distinctive expertise to health law through her previous experience in pharmaceutical and medical device industry regulatory matters. Her winning paper was selected through a blind review process by a distinguished panel of AHLA member judges, who evaluated submissions based on their analysis of timely health law, policy, and compliance issues. 

A graduate of UC San Diego with a bachelor’s degree in human biology, Sun’s research interests focus on the intersection of law, science, and innovation, particularly in navigating complex regulatory frameworks within the health care sector. She is currently pursuing her J.D. at the University of Illinois College of Law, Class of 2026. 

The competition, which drew submissions from ABA-accredited law schools nationwide, required professor nominations and evaluated papers based on their examination of current health law issues, analytical depth, and balanced presentation of legal and policy considerations. 

AHLA will feature Sun’s winning paper on its website and promote her scholarship through its social media channels, providing visibility to her work among the Association’s 12,000 members representing the entire spectrum of the health care industry. 

For more information about the AHLA Student Writing Competition and future opportunities, please contact awards@americanhealthlaw.org. 

As a result of his failed urinalysis, the veteran received a general rather than an honorable discharge and came to the Clinic seeking a discharge upgrade. Discharges that are not honorable can have many effects on veterans, including preventing them from accessing some veteran resources and making future employment more difficult to obtain; in addition, having an honorable discharge can be a matter of pride for veterans, recognizing their service to country. Students in the Clinic eagerly took on the case, excited by the chance to help and to tackle an interesting challenge.

Several groups of students worked on this case for the Veterans Legal Clinic, including Wyatt Decker ‘24, Briley McVey ’24, Matthew Schwartz ’24, and Ian Waggoner ‘24. According to Clinic Director Yulanda Curtis, students logged more than 115 hours working on the case and it took more than a year to hear back from the government after filing a brief. In the end, however, the clinicians prevailed and earned their client a discharge upgrade.

“There aren’t many lawyers who assist veterans with discharge upgrades…. The most recent data I have shows only about a third of veterans successfully secure a character of discharge upgrade from our client’s branch of service, so when we win these cases it feels like we took on Goliath and won,” Curtis said. “Additionally, our client just wanted someone to believe him and I think we were the first people to take him seriously.”

Immediately after his urine test came back positive, the veteran submitted hair follicles to reputable labs for secondary testing and both labs reported negative results for all drugs. However, when the veteran presented those tests to his commanding officer, they were not considered. Clinic students, however, did not dismiss the veteran’s claims of innocence and worked diligently to support him.

“A lot of the routine cases you get can be pretty formulaic…not that every case is the same, but you’ve got the same sort of motions that you’re drafting or submitting to the court arguing the same sort of preliminary hearings. But this one was a lot, you had to delve into the science of it,” Waggoner said.

In addition to skillful fact investigation that uncovered character references and grocery receipts for the offending muffins, students collaborated with professionals across campus. Research librarians helped find materials supporting the validity of hair follicle tests over urinalysis, which proved an important aspect of the case. This research, combined with a memorandum from the Department of Defense, issued shortly after their client was discharged, warning servicemembers to avoid consuming poppy seeds, created a strong case that overcame the odds against obtaining a discharge upgrade.

Because of the delays in the case, however, the students who had put in so much hard work ended their semester in the clinic and graduated without a resolution in the case.

“Having to just walk away was definitely a little frustrating, especially because he was a very involved client in the best way possible. He was easy to reach, and he trusted us,” Schwartz said.

Though their professional careers have taken them in different directions and areas of the law that may not require them to think about urinalysis, Schwartz and Waggoner felt “ecstatic” to receive news of their client’s success in upgrading his discharge early in 2025. The positive outcome also reinforced their belief in the value of clinics.

“Law school helps teach a lot and train you, but it doesn’t always feel as practical,” Schwartz said.

“You talk about the black letter law, but you will never get a class that teaches you how to respond to a client,” Waggoner added. “It’s invaluable. I think everyone should be required to do a clinic or some sort of like, practical class.”

Livingston was nominated for the award by Professors Ralph Brubaker and Robert Lawless, internationally renowned scholars in the field of bankruptcy. In their letter recommending Livingston, the professors were effusive in their praise for him, highlighting the way his enthusiasm for bankruptcy matches their own. Specifically, Brubaker and Lawless noted he is “someone who obviously appreciates all of the nuance and complexity of bankruptcy law and practice, asking very thoughtful and sophisticated questions.”

Bankruptcy is a topic that Livingston learned about early in life, having personally witnessed the process through the failure of his father’s business when he was just 10 years old. The fresh start his father was afforded via bankruptcy allowed him to find a new career, which he has successfully practiced for 35 years; bankruptcy as a “catalyst for positive life changes,” as Livingston explained, helped fuel his eagerness to work in the field. He also cited his experience in the College of Law’s bankruptcy courses as a spark for the “intellectual passion for the subject that has shaped my academic career.”

Last summer, Livingston completed an internship with the U.S. Trustee’s office in Chicago and is planning on a career in bankruptcy law. He is seeking a clerkship position with a bankruptcy judge after graduation and ultimately wants to work in a business bankruptcy practice. “He is immensely practical and has a broad and sophisticated skill set that equips him to be a fantastically successful bankruptcy attorney (which we fully expect him to be),” Brubaker and Lawless wrote in their letter recommending him.

As recipient of the Distinguished Bankruptcy Law Student award, Livingston will be honored at a special reception on Thursday, March 20, in Washington D.C. In addition, the American College of Bankruptcy will provide him an all-expense paid trip to attend the College Induction Ceremony and Annual Meeting.

Executive Assistant Dean for Career Planning and Professional Development Greg Miarecki, who was instrumental in the creation and launch of the program, said “Our state and federal judges are on the cutting edge of legal issues and developments. Through the Jurist in Residence program and other College of Law initiatives, we are excited to partner with them to prepare the next generation of leading legal minds.” 

During his time at the College, Judge Kirsch taught a seminar-style short course on public corruption and participated in several student-focused events. Over 90 students attended a Fireside Chat with Judge Kirsch, co-sponsored by the Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism and moderated by the Center’s Director, Professor Tony Ghiotto, along with Dean Miarecki.

3L Bobby Mannis was grateful for the opportunity to take Judge Kirsch’s course.

“Judge Kirsch sharing his perspective as a Seventh Circuit jurist and former U.S. Attorney deepened my desire to pursue white-collar prosecution,” he said. “This class, where Judge Kirsch knew each of our names, taught about statutes and their interpretation, and shared his experiences, is a defining moment in my law school career.”

Student organizations were also eager to make connections with Judge Kirsch, and a Federalist Society-sponsored talk on how to have a meaningful career in public service gave them the opportunity to do just that.

Sophia Downes, 2L and president of the student chapter of the Federalist Society, helped coordinate that event.

“Judge Kirsch shared his experience working at the Department of Justice as the United States Attorney and on the bench, providing valuable advice to students interested in becoming federal prosecutors and judges. He also discussed his transition from the private to public sector and qualities judges and government employers look for when hiring candidates.”

The visit also featured a luncheon for College of Law faculty and local judges from the state and federal benches. Judge Kirsch and Andy Leipold, a professor of law at the College and a leading criminal law scholar, led a wide-ranging discussion.

Dean Jamelle Sharpe said, “Providing opportunities for our students to learn directly from judges is imperative for them to better understand the judicial system. It also encourages them to consider careers in the judiciary. I am grateful to Judge Kirsch for so generously giving of his time to make our inaugural session of the program a success. I look forward to hosting him at the College again in the near future, and to hosting other jurists for many years to come.”

Thomas L. Kirsch II is a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Prior to his judicial appointment in 2020, he served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana since 2017. From 2008 until 2017, Judge Kirsch was a partner at Winston & Strawn LLP in Chicago, litigating commercial and criminal matters in trial and appellate courts across the United States and conducting corporate internal investigations. Before joining Winston & Strawn, Judge Kirsch served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Indiana from 2001 to 2008, focusing on white collar investigations and prosecutions, including the prosecution of numerous elected and appointed public officials. In 2006 and 2007, Judge Kirsch served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice Office of Legal Policy in Washington, D.C. He is a former law clerk to the Honorable John D. Tinder in the Southern District of Indiana. Judge Kirsch is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.