Dear 1L Spotlight: Renee Austin

Today Dear 1L spotlights retired chemical engineer Renee Austin — the first in her family to attend college or law school.

Renee started law school as a part-time student in Michigan, but she was also working full-time as an engineer. She quickly realized that institutional barriers and insufficient program resources meant no good opportunities for her as a part-time student. She withdrew after two semesters.

By August 2022, however, Renee decided to retire from her engineering career to restart, full-time. She is now as a 2L at the University of Memphis – Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (Memphis, TN).

▫️ Things have remained challenging, as Renee has never driven or spent real time in any city before, and she must spend 3-4 hours driving each day to attend law school.

▫️ When Renee is not studying, she continues to mentor students interested in STEM, as she had done for 12 years prior. She also enjoys creating graphic designs, volunteering with charity organizations, and learning about others and their cultures.

▫️ Renee describes herself as “ambitious, compassionate, and unintentionally funny.” She loves puppies and is a Jill-of-All-Trades who can repair “just about anything.” (—I need her at my house!)
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⭐️ LAW STUDENTS: Renee is new to LinkedIn this year and would love to connect with you! Of particular interest are students who share similar interests or who also study in Tennessee.

Renee is also eager and open for:

▪️ Unpaid shadowing experiences and the opportunity to connect with attorneys in Labor & Employment, Intellectual Property/Patent, and Real Estate law.

▪️ Pro bono opportunities for law students.

▪️ Sponsorships from organizations to obtain new or gently used professional clothes and shoes for males and females at her law school.

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Renee plans to devote her legal career to servant leadership. Please all, welcome Renee into our legal LinkedIn community!

Fondly,

💌 Amanda