Impactful gift for law students helps alumna remember her parents
In a 45-year legal career spanning the public and private sectors, Janet Kittel, JD (LAW 鈥78), regularly applied lessons gained from practical experiences at 星空传媒 School of Law.
Now she wants to help ensure that future generations continue to have similar opportunities. She and her husband, Russell Kittel, have designated the law school鈥檚 Legal Writing, Leadership, Experiential Learning, Advocacy and Professionalism (LLEAP) program in their estate.
A requirement of the JD curriculum, LLEAP coursework helps students cultivate proficiency in critical areas such as interviewing, research and writing.
鈥淚鈥檓 encouraged to see the law school鈥檚 continued focus on experiential learning,鈥 said Kittel, who benefited from programming similar to LLEAP, 鈥渁nd happy to know our gift will be used to arm students with the tools they need to be confident entering the field.鈥
The commitment honors Kittel鈥檚 parents, Alexander and Martha (GRS 鈥48, education) MacKenzie, who instilled in their daughter a lifelong love of learning.
鈥淲hen I think about what has made the greatest impact for me, education rises to the top of the list,鈥 said Kittel, 鈥渏ust as it did for my parents. Giving back allows [Russell and me] to leave something behind that will make a difference in the lives of others.鈥
Originally published in the winter 2024 issue of Forward Thinking magazine