Class of 2006

Michael W. Brazington

Kristy L. Khan

Suneetra N. Mickle

Dara E. Montclare

Keith D. Pangburn

Eunice C. Peters

Richard A. Samaniego

Rand E. Simmons

13The Washburn Lawyer

They bring to Washburn University School of Law a diversity of talents, interests and experiences but share a common desire to understand the law. And now, by happenstance,they also share a unique place in the history of Washburn Law: They are members of the

Centennial class, the first class of the Law School’s second century.

The Centennial Class

Michael W.BrazingtonFor MichaelBrazington, learningis exciting—“likespace travel or beinga billionaire or some-

thing.” But he didn’t always feel this way. Whilein high school in Nebraska, Brazington wasoften more interested in pulling pranks than inmaking grades. He dropped out of high schoolduring his junior year and returned to schoolthe following year only to drop out again.“Eventually I took my G.E.D., so I guess youcan say I’m really non-traditional,” Brazingtonsaid.

Despite these early missteps, Brazington even-tually graduated from Union College in Lincoln,

This Centennial class is already impressive having a top seventy-five percent LSAT averagescore of 155. The entering class is also diverse; seventeen percent are minorities and

women make up forty-five percent of the class. This class has an average age of twenty-sixwith the oldest student being fifty-four and twenty being the youngest. Students representtwenty-five different states and nine students are not US citizens. Fifteen of the students

have received graduate degrees and eighty-seven of the class received their undergraduatedegrees within the last two years, while twenty-nine received it more than five years ago.

Thirty-seven percent of the class are recipients of merit scholarships.

Meet eight students from the entering class of 2003. We meet these Centennial students asthey begin their journey through law school. Our hats go off to them for having traveled sofar already. Over the next three years, we will check in on them periodically as they make

their way to graduation day in 2006.

NE, with a B.A. in religion. “It was an honor tograduate,” said Brazington when asked if hegraduated with honors. In fact, the college’sreligion department discouraged competitionand therefore had no official honor. That said,Brazington was given the unofficial designation“most-favored ministerial graduate” by severalchurch administers.

Before coming to Washburn Law, Brazingtonhad several jobs, including two successful posi-tions in sales and marketing. He was also a pro-fessional clergy person in upstate New York,overseeing a four-church district in the countrynear Lake Ontario. “I was the only paid leaderin the 300-member district, said Brazington, “SoI had some significant responsibility.”

14Fall ‘03 / Winter ‘04

Kristy L.KhanKristy Khan is anavid hockey fan—not surprising sinceshe hales fromEdmonton, Canada,

But for Brazington the real significance of hiswork experiences is not so much what he did aswhat he learned. “Those were all great experi-ences, but they taught me something importantabout myself, which is that while I enjoy leadingpeople and can be highly effective at it, mytruest passion is to research and write. That’swhy I went to law school, and I haven’t been dis-appointed.”

Not surprisingly, Brazington did his researchbefore deciding to pursue a law degree. Heinterviewed eighteen practicing attorneys “tofind out what they actually did.” When they toldhim they did a lot of research, he knew the legalprofession was for him. “For me, spending timeresearching is a constant fascination,” saidBrazington. Next he had to decide which lawschool to attend. To a future legal researcher-writer, the quality of the library was key, andBrazington consulted the ABA guide, whichnamed Washburn’s law library number onebased on certain criteria. Michael alsoresearched Washburn’s G.P.A. and LSAT stan-dards, which he found were even higher thansome of the top-50 schools. The school’s prox-imity to his extended family and a scholarship“closed the deal,” and Brazington entered lawschool last fall.

For someone like Brazington who loves thelearning process, law school has been a treat. “Ihave absolutely loved all of my classes becauseeach of them is teaching me how to think logi-cally in such a detailed way.” He also praisesthe professors, the myriad seminar opportuni-ties and, of course, the library. “The library ison the cutting edge, techno speaking,” observedBrazington. And he would know.

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home of the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne “TheGreat One” Gretzky. When she transferred tothe University of New Orleans to complete herundergraduate degree, she took her love ofhockey with her and became a big supporter ofthe former New Orleans Brass. During the2001-2002 hockey season, Khan was the Brass’promotions intern, assisting with New Orleans-style promotions that included “Dance LikeBritney Spears,” turkey bowling, and what shedescribes as an “ill-advised wheelchair relaywith pregnant ladies.”

In addition to her love of hockey, Khan hasalways had an interest in the law. After graduat-ing from the University of New Orleans with aB.S. in business administration and manage-ment, Khan decided to pursue a law degree.Her brother had attended law school at theUniversity of Toledo, and he gave her someinsight into what she might expect at lawschool. Still, the first year of law school isalways an adjustment, and Khan marvels at“the amount of work needed just to keep upand do well.”

Despite the workload, Khan has enjoyed herexperience at Washburn. “The professors aresuch interesting people,” said Khan. “They arevery accomplished and have real world experi-ence to share in class.” She also praises theother students, who are always willing to help.

At this point in her legal studies, Khan is notsure what she will do with her law degree, butshe knows she wants to use it to help others.She is considering family law because she likesthe idea of “helping to keep some family har-mony during a hard and trying time in peoples’lives.”

When asked what she would tell prospectivestudents about Washburn Law, the one-timepromotions intern praises the school’s profes-sors, staff and fellow students. “Washburn is agreat value. It isn’t ‘cut-throat competitive’ atthe school,” said Khan. For this hockey fan atleast, aggressive competition has only oneplace: on the ice.

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The Centennial Class

Suneetra N. MickleBy the time SuneetraMickle graduatedfrom DouglassCollege at Rutgers,she had alreadyworked in the phar-

maceutical industry for several years. With herdegree in public health and years of work expe-rience, she was well prepared for success. Butworking in an industry that is so heavily regu-lated by the government, Mickle always feltsomewhat hindered by her lack of legal knowl-edge, so she began to consider law school. Likeothers who are now part of the Centennial classat Washburn University School of Law, Micklechose to leave behind a familiar and successfulcareer to chart a new course.

Mickle started working for Johnson & Johnsonwhile still a senior in high school and continuedworking there through college. As an under-graduate at Douglass, a women’s college, shewas recognized for her academic excellence asthe James Dixon scholar and Merck Kerriganscholar. She was also actively involved in pro-moting her alma mater to prospective studentsin her role as a Red Pine ambassador. Aftergraduating from Douglass, Mickle stayed withJohnson & Johnson for one more year in herjob as a contract analyst before taking a positionwith Merck Pharmaceuticals.

Mickle was employed with Merck for four yearsas a sales representative. Her outstanding salesrecord earned her the prestigious VicePresident’s Award, the company’s highest salesaward. Having reached the top, Mickle felt shehad done all she could in sales. She was readyfor a change and decided to leave Merck inorder to pursue her law degree.

Washburn Law appealed to Mickle because,among other qualities, it encourages studentsto achieve success. “Other schools I talked to

Dara E.MontclareTo liken DaraMontclare’s journeyto WashburnUniversity School ofLaw to the adventur-

ous journey Bilbo Baggins takes in J.R.R.Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit would be quite astretch. But she admits that reading The Hobbitas a young woman opened “a whole new world”for her, one that would include educationaladvancement.

Born in Chicago but raised in Tucson, Arizona,Montclare’s early forays into education wereless than stellar. “School was never fun for me,”said Montclare. “I went to high school and justgot by.” Nonetheless, after graduating highschool, she enrolled at the University ofArizona. Unfortunately, her English composi-tion scores were so bad that she did not qualifyfor freshman English; instead she was forced totake “English X,” a remedial course, which shealso did not pass. Discouraged by her college

The Washburn Lawyer

didn’t encourage succeeding,” said Mickle.“The focus was more on failure, not success.”

Mickle attributes much of her own success anddetermination to her father, who has alwaysencouraged her. “He is my go-to person andhas always told me that I could do anything Iwanted,” said Mickle. “He said don’t be scared,take chances and push into the unknown.”

Mickle wants to provide the same encourage-ment to other young minority women. By earn-ing her law degree, she hopes to become a rolemodel “to show them you can always go backto school and enter a field that hasn’t been atraditional field for minorities or minoritywomen.”

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The Centennial Classexperiences, Montclare eventually dropped outof school and “went out on my own.”

Although Montclare had floundered in theclassroom, she steadily advanced in the busi-ness world. She held a series of jobs and wasregularly promoted. At around age twenty-five,a friend gave her a copy of The Hobbit. “Duringschool, I hated reading,” said Montclare.“Scarlet Letter and Great Expectations weren’tmy kind of reading, and I truly didn’t knowthere was anything else. So when my friendhanded me The Hobbit, it was a whole newworld. I started reading voraciously, couldn’tstop. Turns out, it gave me my education inEnglish.”

Montclare would use her self-taught Englishskills in her work, but she soon found that shecould not advance beyond a certain level with-out a college degree. Eventually she decided tostart her own business. With $20 in her pocket,she opened a cart business selling ThighMaster in the Tucson Mall during theChristmas season. In two months she made$8,000. Her success would become the founda-tion of an impressive retail career, and in fiveyears she owned multiple stores grossing$500,000 annually.

After ten years in retail, Montclare sold thebusiness. She had decided she wanted to go tolaw school, but first she would have to earn anundergraduate degree, a prospect she describesas “frightening because of my past experi-ences.” She enrolled as a full-time student at theUniversity of Phoenix. Her first-year G.P.A. was3.97. The next year she transferred to ArizonaState University, where, after her first semester,a teacher pulled her aside and convinced her tobecome an English major. Three years later,Montclare, who once failed remedial English,graduated summa cum laude with a degree inEnglish literature.

Now a first-year student at Washburn Law,Montclare loves the school. “I love learning,and I like growing,” she said. “And I’m so glad Itook English!” Montclare has not settled on aparticular area of law yet, but she is certain shewill put her degree to good use. “A J.D. opensup so many doors, not just practicinglaw…doors that were never open [to me]before.”

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17The Washburn Lawyer

Richard A.SamaniegoRichardSamaniegoalways plannedto go to lawschool. But aftergraduating in1999 from the

EuniceC. PetersAs head coachof the KansasWheelhawkswheelchair basketball team, Eunice Petershelped lead her team to victory on the basket-ball court. Today, the first-year student atWashburn University School of Law finds her-self engrossed in court matters of an entirelydifferent kind, but she is no less determined tosucceed.

Peters grew up in Chicago and attended theUniversity of Illinois, where she earned a B.S.in kinesiology with an emphasis in athletictraining and an M.S. in exercise physiology.While in college, she worked with people withdisabilities, including wheelchair athletes. Thework was rewarding in many ways, but jobopportunities for athletic trainers were limited.So Peters took a job as a legal clerk inChampaign, IL. Although unplanned, it wouldmark the beginning of her journey to lawschool.

Peters quickly moved up to the position of sen-

ior legal clerk at the Champaign CountyCircuit Clerk’s office in Urbana, IL. A yearlater, she accepted the position of motionssecretary for the Kansas Court of Appeals,and the following year she became judicialexecutive assistant to Judge Lee A. Johnson‘80. With each successive job, her interest inthe law had grown. She had discovered a pro-fession she not only enjoyed but one thatoffered her many more career opportunitiesthan were available to an athletic trainer.

Peters decision to go to Washburn Law wasinfluenced not only by Washburn’s generousscholarship offer but also by the many posi-tive comments she heard from Washbur nalumni she knew through work, includingJudge Johnson. Now in her first year atWashburn, she understands why they spokeso highly of Washburn Law. “School has beenamazing,” Peters said. “The professors reallycare and use different strategies to helpeveryone learn. They all have open-door poli-cies, which is a great sacrifice for the profes-sors, but it’s great for the students.”

When she’s not studying, Peters helps outwith her husband’s wheelchair Division 1 bas-ketball team, the Florida Force. She also hasa passion for domestic animals and likes tohelp with rescued dogs.

Although her work experience has given heran inside look at the legal profession, Petersstill hasn’t decided what area of law she wantsto practice when she graduates. “I’m stillkeeping my options open,” she said. “Possiblylitigation.” Whichever option Peters ultimatelychooses, she wants to use her degree to helppeople. “In the end, it isn’t all about money,”she said.

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18Fall ‘03 / Winter ‘04

The Centennial ClassUniversity of Texas in Austin with a degree ingovernment and business, he decided to get ajob first so he could bring some “real world”work experience to the classroom.

As an undergraduate, Samaniego was able to give his political science studies the “real-world test” in the Texas Legislature. He beganthere as an intern and then was hired as a leg-islative aide to Texas Rep. Ron Clark. Heserved at the Texas capitol for three legisla-tive sessions. Samaniego left after his boss,Rep. Clark, was nominated for a federal judge-ship.

One of his early ventures into the businessworld was with Dell Computer Corporation,where he served as a sales consultant for ayear. “It was a good experience,” saidSamaniego, “but it wasn’t really what I was in to.” When the economy began to sour andDell started to lay off employees, Samaniegodecided it was a good time to move on. Heworked with now-Judge Clark briefly beforetaking a management position with EnterpriseRent-a-Car.

After working for a couple years, Samaniegodecided it was time to pursue his law degree.He applied to a number of law schools, but hechose Washburn. “Washburn impressed methe most. It seemed like they were reallyinterested in me,” said Richard. He had alsoheard great things about Washburn from hisfather, whose friend, a lawyer in Richard’shometown of El Paso, received his law degreefrom Washburn.

Now in his first year at the Law School,Richard understands why his father’s friendfelt so strongly about Washburn Law. “Theenvironment is totally different from other lawschools,” said Samaniego, referring to theevery-man-for-himself atmosphere he’s heardabout from friends at other law schools. “Thisis an environment in which everyone assistseach other, everyone seems to get involved. Itfeels like you have some ownership in theschool.”

Samaniego has found his classes both chal-lenging and enlightening—even, at times,shocking. “I had no idea there was so muchleeway in a contractual obligation,” admittedSamaniego, who always thought of a contract

as more cut and dr y. In addition to Contracts,he has also enjoyed Property and was surprisedwith what he learned in Criminal Law. “Now Ifeel like I understand a whole new part of theworld a little better.”

As an undergraduate, Samaniego really likedhis business classes, and he looks forward topracticing business law someday, probably in alarge corporate setting. Just as his real worldexperiences helped prepare him for law school,he knows that what he’s learning now will beinvaluable when he reenters the world of busi-ness.

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Rand E.SimmonsRand Simmons’skill with foreignlanguage and hisappreciation for

other cultures allowed him to study abroad. Butit is at home in southwest Kansas, where hehas witnessed the barriers faced by non-English-speaking people in his own community,that Simmons believes he can put his skills totheir best use. As a bilingual lawyer, Simmonshopes to help bridge the language and culturaldivisions in his own backyard.

Simmons received his undergraduate degree inSpanish language and literature from theUniversity of Kansas. While enrolled at K.U., hestudied abroad in Guatemala. Following gradua-tion, he quickly put his skills into practice,spending two years working with Cubanrefugees in Kansas City. He then moved toHouston, Texas, where his wife was attendingschool. While there, he served as a Spanish-lan-guage translator for three years. Unlike inter-preters, who deal with the spoken word, trans-lators deal with written materials. As Simmonsdescribes it, “Translating was sitting in front ofa computer and re-typing words. Interpretingwas talking with people and relaying what theysaid to others.” As a computer-bound translator,

Simmons missed the interaction with people.

Upon returning to Dodge City, Simmons choseto work more closely with people, this time asa Spanish teacher to high school and collegestudents. During his tenure, he also earned anMLS degree at Ft. Hays State. AlthoughSimmons enjoyed teaching at first, he graduallybecame tired of teaching the same materialover and over again. He began talking with hisbrother and sister, both lawyers, about pursu-ing a law degree. But before making his deci-sion to invest in law school, Simmons spent sixweeks interacting with the Dodge City office ofKansas Legal Services. It became readilyapparent that with his Spanish-language skillsand a law degree, he could really help peoplein his community.

Because Simmons wants to practice in Kansas,he applied to law schools in surrounding areas,but found Washburn’s admissions office superi-or to the other schools’. “No other school cameclose,” said Simmons. Now in his first year atWashburn Law, he is equally impressed withthe other students, staff and professors. “All of the professors have a passion for teaching…and they go out of their way to make lawschool enjoyable and comprehensible to everyone,” said Simmons.

In the future, Simmons sees himself practicingin the areas of family law and immigration law,probably in a small practice in Dodge City. Heis eager to combine his Spanish-speaking skillsand his interest in Hispanic culture with his lawdegree. “I want to help those who had theintestinal fortitude to get to this country andwant to be a U.S. citizen and work,” saidSimmons.

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19

The Centennial Class

The Washburn Lawyer

❝ This is an environmentin which everyone assists

each other, everyone seemsto get involved. It feels likeyou have some ownership

in the school.❞

-Richard A. Samaniego