Last night was the first annual Jenny Runkles Award banquet, brought by the Women Law Students Association (WLSA). It was a very nice affair with lots of attendees, all dressed in "cocktail attire" (how fun it is to see everyone looking so pretty and so handsome; I'm a sucker for well-dressed people!). The meal was good, but not great. The company, on the other hand, was simply fabulous. It was a keen pleasure for me to learn about Jenny Runkles. This is a wonderful example of how someone's tragic death can be turned into something positive. One of my friends, a co-chair of the Outlaws group, was one of the two award recipients.
The Jenny Runkles Award was established to honor the memory of Jenny Runkles, who tragically died in the summer of 2001 in an automobile accident following her second year at Michigan Law School. The award criteria embody the type of person that Jenny was and the contributions she made to the Law School community.
The award will be made to a second year law student(s) who possesses a selfless commitment to improving the Law School community and society as a whole, through devotion to public interest and diversity. This commitment should be exhibited through personal interactions with others, a commitment to service and charity programs, and participation and leadership in various Law School programs and student-run organizations. Additionally, the nominee(s) should possess the ability to embrace and bring together individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation or other distinguishing characteristics.
Congratulations, Nadine! I cannot imagine a more deserving recipient.
(As a total aside, please note that I've added a new Michigan blawg (The Haymarket) to my list of links -- operated by my very good friend, and fellow 1L, BoSox.)