March 30, 2012
The School of Law and the Center for Latina/o Legal Studies encouraged minority students from around the state to reach for their dreams of attending law school at the 10th Minority Pre-Law Symposium for high school and college students.
About 150 students spent a day on the St. Mary’s School of Law campus learning about the law school experience from the application process to daily life, including a live mock trial competition. Representatives from seven Texas law schools as well as several of St. Mary’s student organizations met with students and answered questions.
As part of the symposium, the Chicano Civil Rights Banquet celebrated the life and work of the late Jose A. Cardenas, Ed. D., with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Cardenas, whose groundbreaking educational theories were instrumental in many Chicano civil rights cases argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeal and District Courts throughout the Southwest, including the landmark case of Keyes v. School District No. 1. He was a educational pioneer who not only fought for equality in education, but also worked to encourage students to pursue advanced degrees.
Additionally, the Intercultural Development Research Association was given the Chicano Civil Rights Award.