An 11-year-old boy in foster care touched the heart of ASU Juris Doctorate student Kristine Reich. She encountered the boy while working as a therapist. "He experienced a very sad family situation and suffered through many disrupted placements. He was living in a short-term group home when he broke down sobbing, repeating that ‘he just wanted to be a normal kid.'"

Reich found the young boy again a year later while working as an adoption family specialist. "The system often gives up on trying to find forever-families for children 10 and older," she says. "This was not satisfactory to me, and I found a family that might make a good fit for the boy who deserved so much better." She facilitated the placement, and his adoption was finalized on Valentine's Day of 2000.

Experiences such as this created a passion for law and a desire to contribute to the public good that encouraged Reich to pursue a law degree at Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. She will graduate in May 2008.

After obtaining her Masters of Social Work from ASU, she specialized in children's welfare, working as a school social worker, a foster care/adoption licensing worker, a child and family therapist, an assistant coordinator of the Child Welfare Training Project in the ASU School of Social Work, and also as Director of the statewide training program for Child Protective Services. She served on Governor Napolitano's Advisory Committees on Child Welfare Reform in 2003.

"My goal in obtaining my law degree was to have diverse learning experiences," says Reich. "If I pursue a career in public interest law I want to provide legal services for underrepresented populations and develop responsible and effective public policy. If I decide to practice family law, I plan to use mediation and collaborative law principles to obtain the best outcomes for families in crisis."

Reich's law experiences already include clerking for a Juvenile Court Judge, the Attorney General's Office in the Protective Services Section, and a private law firm. She also externed in the House Rules Office in the Arizona State Legislature, and participated in mock trial, closing argument, and mediation competitions. With a teammate, she won the ABA Representation in Mediation National Competition in April 2006 and
February 2008.

As the president of the Pro Bono Board, she coordinates ASU law students in numerous community service projects, including legal aid for homeless and crime victims; free assistance in tax, disability and elder law; and advocacy against domestic violence and child abuse.

Reich also serves as Vice-President of the Women's Law Student Association, Vice-President of the Sports and Entertainment Law Student Association, and Vice-President of the American Association of Justice Student Association.

"It is a privilege to attend a law school named for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and to attend class with her instruction," says Reich. "Many of the faculty and staff have emphasized the importance of public service, which is congruent with my goals of making a meaningful contribution to public service in the future."