TAMU Law celebrates Allison Pawlowski

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Aug 19, 2021 10:23:17 AM

 Allison Pawlowski

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TAMU Law celebrates Shawna Smith-Thornton

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Jul 14, 2021 11:54:43 AM

 

Shawna Smith-Thornton
"To whom much is given, much is required."

 

Shawna Smith-Thornton is a Texas A&M School of Law master's of jurisprudence degree graduate who was appointed to the executive committee of the Association of American Law Schools Pro Bono Committee where she serves as membership co-chair. Shawna helped create the first pro bono emerging leaders award, recognizing mid-career pro bono professionals. Look for her this fall as a panelist at the 2021 Pro Bono Coordinators Retreat & Poverty Law Conference.

 

Shawna is busy building the first mobile app for students at Texas A&M Law, firmly believing that increasing communication can do wonders for the student experience.

Years of Service: 6 years

Describe your law school tenure in three words:
  • Adventurous
  • Innovative
  • Limitless 

Do you have a favorite Texas A&M Aggie Core Value?

  • Selfless Service. To whom much is given, much is required.
  • Integrity. What you do when no one is watching is important.
What was your favorite tv show growing up?
  • The Golden Girls. I've been watching this show since I was single digits. I love the feistiness of the ladies, and what has stuck with me is that there is still life after life's trials.
  • M*A*S*H. I got to stay up late to watch this show, and that was the best. It was a good memory of spending time with my Mom.
  • A Different World. I got to dream with this show. Peeking into college life was exciting and rescued me from my neighborhood and the monotony. 
If you could keep only three apps on your phone, what would they be?
  • Apple Music
  • My bank.
  • Instagram
Everything you need to know comes from Instagram. Just search and find.  
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Topics: tamu law, faculty and staff, texas a&m school of law

TAMU Law celebrates Sharon Jefferson

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Jul 5, 2021 1:07:00 PM

 

Sharon Jefferson
“One day chicken, next day feathers.”

I enjoy volunteering for the Texas Rangers (I pass out promotional items at the gates), taking photographs (nature and baseball mainly) and spending time with my two grandsons.

Area of Service: Dee J. Kelly Law Library

Years of Service: 17 years (as Texas Wesleyan School of Law and Texas A&M School of Law)

Describe your law school tenure in three words:
  • Variety
  • Fortunate
  • Friendships 

Do you have a favorite Texas A&M Aggie Core Value?

Selfless Service – I think it is important to help others. Even a small act can make a difference to someone. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but I observed my parents helping others by giving their time to friends, family and the church.

In the future, I hope to devote time to helping the American Red Cross and area food banks. I am an introvert, and volunteering provides me with the opportunity to meet people. 

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Early Bird – As a child, I wasn’t allowed to sleep in. As an adult, I always got up early to go to work or take my daughter to school. I am more productive and energetic in the mornings, especially after a chai tea latte.

 
If you could keep only three apps on your phone, what would they be?
  • Facebook
  • Candy Crush Soda
  • Google
What was your favorite tv show growing up?
There were several I loved watchingThe Brady Bunch, Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Columbo, CHiPs, Dukes of Hazzard, Dallas, and Knots Landing.
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TAMU Law celebrates Pam Watson

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Jun 24, 2021 2:35:30 PM

 

Pamela Watson
"Our students make the work worthwhile."



I was one of the first African Americans to integrate Fort Worth's Stripling Middle School in the early 1970s. While I didn't feel the responsibility of being one of the first at that time, I certainly remember that my presence was something others would remember. I got lots of stares. I share this because I can relate to the many firsts our law school students experience when they walk through our halls or sign in to a Zoom session for the very first time. I'm so grateful to our faculty and staff for their welcoming presence and understanding. They are doing their best to maintain a close-knit, family feel despite growth.

Area of Service: Faculty Support

Years of Service: Five

Describe your law school tenure in three words:
  • Busy
  • Defining
  • Exciting
What makes TAMU Law unique?

Compared to other law schools, our size makes us unique. Smaller classes, I think, help our students connect better to their studies and to their fellow classmates. It's easier for students to find places to thrive.

I love also watching how the diversity of our students, faculty and staff improves every year. Everyone works together because we can all agree that student success is a priority.

Do you have a favorite Texas A&M Aggie Core Value?

Respect is my favorite Aggie Core Value. How we treat each other matters and reminds me of the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Are you an early bird or a night owl?

I'm definitely an early bird. I tend to think better in the morning, and I can get more done. Forget the evenings. I'm generally half asleep. LOL. I also like the morning hours because it's a good time to fish, one of my favorite things to do.  

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TAMU Law celebrates Xiyao Huang

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Jun 11, 2021 11:45:31 AM

 

Xiyao Huang
If there is something I can finish today, I get it done.



Area of Service: Curriculum & Instructional Design

Years of Service: Two

I am very passionate about designing high-quality, learner-friendly courses that engage adult learners to achieve success. Instructional design is the "glue" that connects instructors and students for the finest experiences.

I moved to the U.S. after earning my bachelor's degree in China, and I earned my master's degree in curriculum development and instructional technology from State University of New York at Albany. I'm looking forward to completing my doctoral degree next summer.

What's a recent professional accomplishment?

Migrating existing online courses to Canvas during a pandemic. Pivoting quickly was a challenge but also an opportunity.

Canvas is a course management system that supports online learning and teaching.

Describe your law school tenure in three words:
  • Extremely busy
  • Challenging
  • Exciting

Do you have a favorite Texas A&M Aggie Core Value?

I'm most drawn to leadership, and it excites me. Without solid leadership, you may lose focus. Like a ship that navigates through rocky waters, a good leader can calm the path forward for organizational success.

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TAMU Law celebrates Chad Ballenger

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Jun 3, 2021 2:23:10 PM

 

Chad Ballenger
"What’s done in the dark will come to the light."



Area of Service: IT

Years of Service: 14 years as Texas Wesleyan Law and Texas A&M Law

Who has influenced you the most when it comes to work? Share three takeaways.

I was taught by my father to remove the phrases, I can’t or I don’t know. The takeaway is not to give up when things are hard and to always seek knowledge and understanding in areas that you lack knowledge.

I was taught by my mother that working seven days a week, nights and weekends was normal for 40 hours of pay. My mother also told me frequently that life is not fair, but you need to control what you can control. You can always control your work ethic.

The last but most important came from my grandmother. She would say what’s done in the dark will come to the light. What I take from this is when you are working on projects alone and spending time away from work caring about your job and think you are not getting credit, keep working hard. What you do in the dark will soon come to light.

Describe your law school tenure in three words:
  • Exciting
  • Impactful
  • Encouraging
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TAMU Law celebrates Lori Rogde

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on May 26, 2021 9:47:58 AM

   

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TAMU Law celebrates Matt Pellegrino

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on May 17, 2021 4:28:51 PM

   

Matt Pellegrino
Reliable. Genuine. Selfless


Tell us about you.
I have a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas in Geography/Earth Science and a minor in Spanish. I did a study-abroad and lived in Mexico for over a month while living with a family and attending school. I played saxophone in a Ska band in the late 90’s and played all over the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and Austin. My wife and I have known each other since high school band. She has been an elementary school teacher for 27 years. Our daughter is a junior at Texas Woman’s University, and our son is a percussion director for an area high school. We have two Bassett hounds, a Labrador mix and two cats.   We love taking our camper to different places and enjoying the scenery.
Describe your law school tenure in three words.
Busy, busy, busy….
Why are you proud to work at Texas A&M Law?

The law school came from such humble beginnings with the hard work of so many people to become what it is today.

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Topics: tamu law, faculty and staff, texas a&m school of law

TAMU Law alumnus goes from student to employee

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Dec 7, 2020 2:42:53 PM

Texas A&M School of Law grad Serech Kissire ’20 was searching for a job after graduation, and he reached out to Travis Patterson (UT Law ’12) and asked him to pass on his resume. Patterson was happy to advocate for Kissire as Patterson and his colleague Tennessee Walker ’05 (Baylor Law ’08) had served as adjunct faculty members for a class that Kissire had taken at the law school.   Not long after the conversation, Patterson’s and Walker’s firm, the Patterson Law Group in Fort Worth realized they had a need to add an additional lawyer to the firm. They looked no further as they knew that Kissire was the one for the job. He asked great questions, and they knew his dedication to his craft as a student. There was no doubt that he would be a great fit for the firm.  Rumor has it that Kissire didn’t have to sit for an interview, and some say that no one has actually seen his resume. Kissire’s track record as a student spoke for itself and he was hired.  

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Topics: tamu law, students, texas a&m school of law

TAMU Law and security partner featured in Security Magazine

Posted by Texas A&M School of Law on Dec 2, 2020 11:53:54 AM

Matt Pellegrino, Facilities Manager, Texas A&M University School of Law (left) and Eric Baze, Security Account Manager, Allied Universal Security Services (right)

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Topics: Texas A&M University School of Law, tamu law, faculty and staff, Texas A&M Law, allied universal, security magazine

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About Texas A&M School of Law

Texas A&M School of Law is an American Bar Association-accredited institution located in downtown Fort Worth. Since integrating with Texas A&M University in 2013, the law school has sustained a remarkable upward trajectory — dramatically increasing entering class credentials; improving U.S. News and World Report rankings; hiring more than 30 new faculty members; and adding more than 10 clinics and six global field study destinations. In the past several years the law school has greatly expanded its academic programs to serve the needs of non-lawyer professionals in a variety of complex and highly regulated industries such as cybersecurity, energy and natural resources, finance, and healthcare.

For more information, visit law.tamu.edu.

About Texas A&M University

Texas A&M, established in 1876 as the first public university in Texas, is one of the nation’s largest universities with more than 66,000 students and more than 440,000 living alumni residing in over 150 countries around the world. A tier-one university, Texas A&M holds the rare triple land-, sea- and space-grant designation. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of more than $905.4 million in fiscal year 2017. Texas A&M’s research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting, in many cases, in economic benefits to the state, nation and world.

About Research at Texas A&M University

As one of the world's leading research institutions, Texas A&M is at the forefront in making significant contributions to scholarship and discovery, including that of science and technology. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of more than $905.4 million in fiscal year 2017. Texas A&M ranked in the top 20 of the National Science Foundation’s Higher Education Research and Development survey (2016), based on expenditures of more than $892.7 million in fiscal year 2016. Texas A&M’s research creates new knowledge that provides basic, fundamental and applied contributions resulting, in many cases, in economic benefits to the state, nation and world.

To learn more, visit http://research.tamu.edu.