Hi guys, welcome to my blog! I’m Paige - a law student, small town Kansas advocate, a nonprofit founder, a cattle rancher, and former Miss Kansas Volunteer. I know, it’s a lot to keep up with. Let’s dive into a few of these!
I was born and raised on a cow/calf and crop operation outside Dodge City, Kansas. Looking back, I had a storybook childhood. I spent my days working on our family’s operation, running around the ranch with my sisters, riding my horse, and attending community events. Some of my favorite memories include fishing parties at our pond, playing on the hay bales, discovering secret hideouts, and of course the never-ending ranch work. My parents instilled in us girls a strong work ethic and a deep sense of community.
After graduating from high school, I traveled to the other side of the state to attend the University of Kansas. Rock Chalk! At KU I fell in love with the campus community. I was in a sorority, had (the best) internship at the Alumni Association, got involved in political organizations, was active in my church, and was able to travel a lot. I made some amazing memories and even better friends.
My most notable achievement at KU was founding Purple Pals, a nonprofit organization that connects college students to people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. My motivation to start Purple Pals came from watching my Grandma suffer and ultimately pass away from Alzheimer’s. I witnessed how difficult it was to find good, affordable care and the mental and physical burden caregivers face. Purple Pals provides free events for our Pals, allowing caregivers a chance to care for themselves. Purple Pals has expanded to several different states in the Midwest. To learn more about Purple Pals go to purplepals.org!
I’m a Kansas girl through and through, so it is no surprise that I chose Washburn Law for my legal education. I have grown to like law school as much as one can and am extremely excited for my legal career. (I say that because no one truly loves law school.) Despite its challenges law school has been an amazing adventure. I have learned and grown an extraordinary amount during the past two and a half years and I couldn’t recommend Washburn enough!
I took an unconventional approach to law school by holding the title of Miss Kansas Volunteer while in school. Miss Kansas Volunteer is a preliminary to the Miss Volunteer America competition. Although you wouldn’t think about law school and pageants going hand in hand, many of the skills I learned as MKV will benefit my legal career. (Including creating this blog!) Additionally, MKV gave me a creative outlet to accompany the sometimes-mundane law school environment and gave me another area of my life to work towards goals. On top of my MKV reign, I made the Top 15 at Miss Volunteer America and won the S.E.R.V.E. National Community Service Award.
Enough storytelling. Here are a few fast facts to get to know me better:
I was a part of the inaugural class of Kansas NextGen Under 30 leaders. This is no surprise, but I love Kansas history. I even wrote my undergrad thesis on Dodge City. My favorite quote is, “Life has no remote, get up and change it yourself.” I love talking to people and hearing their stories. My favorite law school classes have been property and oil & gas.
Now that you know a bit about my story, here is more about my why.
Deep down, I always knew I would return to Western Kansas. I see endless opportunities on the Western side of the state as a soon-to-be attorney. Rural Kansas needs more young professionals, especially lawyers. I hope this little blog can be part of the driving force for that change.
If you made it this far, thank you for being here. One day I will be writing legal advice, but until then, stay tuned for all things law school and Kansas!
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