Tehya Walkingstick, a senior at Johnson High School, has known that she wanted pursue a career in law since she was in the eighth grade. She attributes much of her passion for this field to her former Tejeda Middle School teacher Ms. Brand and her experience on the Tejeda debate team. This week, Tehya along with approximately 30 North East ISD students and aspiring lawyers had the opportunity to participate in a Leadership in Law Camp hosted by St. Mary’s School of Law.
The four-day camp gave students, like Tehya, an opportunity to learn about their career interest through guest speakers, field trips and several on-campus activities. Additionally, students learned essential college and career readiness and leadership skills.
“I have really enjoyed this entire experience,” said Tehya. “The networking has been great and just getting to talk to people in the actual field has been really cool. We are really learning what being a lawyer really entails.”
NEISD students spent their days meeting and interacting with leaders in the San Antonio legal community and received tips and advice on networking in their field. The hands-on environment allowed them to learn about different professions in the legal field from current St. Mary’s professors and students. The camp also gave NEISD students the chance to practice public speaking and participate in activities that teach critical thinking skills.
“The ability to think that you can help somebody on a greater level, like getting to decide a court case, can change a person’s life for better or worse,” said Tehya. “The fact that you could help a person out by handling their legal troubles is something I am really looking forward to doing.”
This program is a partnership between the NEISD Career & Technical Education Department and St. Mary’s University School of Law.
