Shareese Pryor, '11

Shareese Pryor ‘11
Hometown: Aurora, Illinois
Undergrad: Barnard College, ‘08
Major: Political Science
Law School activities: Black Law Students Association, Spring Break of Service, Public Interest Law Society, Chicago Law Foundation, Clinic Board

Shareese Pryor had always planned to use her law degree to do public interest work for underserved communities in the Chicagoland area. Child advocacy and family law were her main interests.

But Shareese will have an opportunity that few law school graduates have–she is being paid to partner with a public interest organization of her choice to work on a project of her own devise. This is possible because she was one of about 30 law school students nationwide chosen for the highly sought-after Skadden Fellowship.

Before coming to the Law School, Shareese spent her junior year of college studying abroad in Argentina, China, India, and South Africa. She also interned in the chambers of a judge on the New York State Supreme Court, working on matrimonial and guardianship cases. Shareese spent the summer after graduation as a Liman Public Interest Law Summer Fellow at the Juvenile Protective Association in Chicago, assisting with permanency planning evaluations for children in foster care.

In her first year at the Law School, Shareese served as a 1L Representative for the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and participated in the Spring Break of Service trip, a week-long volunteer opportunity with the Mississippi Center for Justice. She joined the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Project in the Winter Quarter of her 2L year.

Connections she's made with professors and other students have been a big influence on her life. The supportive community here has helped the law school experience become more enjoyable.

"The relationships I've built here have helped me to develop personally and professionally," she said.

For her Skadden Fellowship, she is pairing with the Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago on a project related to youth transitioning out of foster care. The Skadden Foundation will pay her salary for two years and will pay for her to be provided with all fringe benefits to which an employee of the sponsoring organization would be entitled.

Here's what advice Shareese would give to 1Ls:

"The pressures of law school can make you question your abilities and goals. But you already possess many skills you'll need to succeed the moment you walk in the door. Those techniques that worked effectively in the past can also translate to law school, whether preparing for class, studying for an exam, or applying for a job."