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Contact: Kelly Waterfall, 866-1338 |
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September 10, 2002 LOS LUNAS RESIDENT ACCEPTED TO UNM LAW SCHOOL Los Lunas resident Kelly Waterfall is in the entering class at the University
of New Mexico School of Law. She began classes in August and plans to
graduate with the class of 2005. A former employee of the Los Lunas Public Schools, Waterfall has been
a preschool teacher, volunteer for a domestic violence center and has
served teens. Her husband Frank is president of the Los Lunas High School
football booster club and she a volunteer. Her stepson Mark Delgado, a
senior, plans to attend UNM in the fall. Concerns about youth and societal issues compelled Waterfall to apply
to law school. "Justice, civil rights, advocacy for children, the
environment. A lot of what I'm passionate about will lend itself to law,"
she says. Waterfall earned a BFA in sculpture at the University of Illinois in
1988. Surprisingly, an art background lends itself to law school, too.
"UNM has a focus on trying to bring in people with diverse work
and life experiences," Waterfall says. "People in my classes
bring all kinds of different perspectives - there are musicians, artists,
former medical and business professionals, and writers. It contributes
to the experience overall." The nation's largest attorney's group, the American Bar Association,
recently honored UNM's School of Law at with the Henry J. Ramsey, Jr.,
Diversity Award, which recognizes excellence in activities that contributed
to the achievement and advancement of women, minorities and people with
disabilities in the profession. The class of 2005 boasts a 58 percent female student body. Thirty-eight
percent of the students are minority - 27 percent Hispanic, 9 percent
Native American, 1 percent Asian and 2 percent African American. Hispanic Business magazine recently ranked UNM number two in its list
of top 10 law schools for Hispanics. Diversity begins with students, but goes to the top - UNM welcomes its
first woman law dean, Suellyn Scarnecchia, in January. "Diversity is a way of life in New Mexico and our school reflects
that on all levels," said Associate Dean Peter Winograd. The UNM School of Law received a total of 781 applications for the class of 2005. Of those, 248 were accepted (138 residents; 110 nonresidents) and 113 matriculated (95 residents; 18 nonresidents). ### |
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