Category: Student News

mero libimbi and mckenna thompson

June 18, 2026

Two Mizzou Law students earn scholarships to support research

Two Mizzou Law students have been awarded Trans World Airline (TWA) scholarships for the 2026-2027 school year. TWA scholarships fund undergraduate and graduate students who perform or plan to perform research addressing environmental issues. Scholarships are awarded annually to students based on their academic accomplishments and research interests. Mero Libimbi, a rising 2L at Mizzou Law, received the scholarship to help fund her research examining how environmental and social conditions contribute to health disparities among Black women, with a focus on chronic illness and maternal health outcomes. Mero is particularly interested in understanding how these disparities are…

tabitha crain, photo credit: Mexico Ledger

June 15, 2026

Rising 2L wins Miss Missouri Pageant

Tabitha Crain, a rising 2L at Mizzou Law, is the new Miss Missouri after winning the annual pageant over the weekend. Crain is a 24-year-old from Strafford in southwest Missouri. She is a University of Missouri School of Law student who competed in the pageant for the third time. She earned a $14,000 scholarship and will represent Missouri in the Miss America competition later this year. The new Miss Missouri told Missourinet that young women around the state should stay persistent and keep following their dreams. “You really never know what’s on the other…

Jasmine De Los Rios

May 11, 2026

3L Graduate Spotlight— Meet Jasmine De Los Rios: Survivor. Warrior. Advocate.

By: Tanner O’Neal Riley The first time Mizzou Law 3L Jasmine De Los Rios learned what survival meant, she was a child standing in the aftermath of violence. “When I was a minor, my biological father beat my mom so badly she ended up in the ER—she was nearly dead,” she said. “When the police arrived, they saw me… I had bruises all over my legs.” For a brief stretch of time, there was quiet. “He was gone for about a year… and during that time, we were able to breathe.” But the quiet…

myuah hamilton

April 22, 2026

Mizzou Law 3L wins Leaders of Tomorrow award

Myuah Hamilton, a 3L at Mizzou Law, was recently awarded the Leaders of Tomorrow award from Missouri Lawyers Media. The Leaders of Tomorrow award is a part of the Women’s Justice Awards and is given to women law students who demonstrate leadership, professionalism and a passion for making a difference in the justice system or the legal profession. Read more about why Myuah won the award.

McKenna Thompson

April 17, 2026

From Fieldwork to the Law: 1L Bridges Conservation and People

By: Tanner O’Neal Riley McKenna Thompson did not come to law school by way of a straight line. She came by way of forests and rivers — a path that began in wildlife biology and now runs through Missouri’s most privately held landscapes. A 1L at Mizzou Law, Thompson is the co-author of “Understanding Landowner Perceptions, Enhancing Conservation Easement Adoption in Missouri’s Priority Landscapes,” a peer-reviewed, scientific paper that grew out of her master’s thesis research in the School of Natural Resources. The work sits at the intersection of ecology, property rights and public policy, asking a…

the front door of hulston hall

April 8, 2026

CALI Winners Awarded at 2026 Edna Nelson Banquet

The Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) Excellence for the Future Awards recognize students with the highest grade in each course at Mizzou Law. These were awarded at the annual Edna Nelson Awards Banquet this April. Below are the CALI Award winners for the 2025 calendar year. A full list of all Edna Nelson award winners can be found here: Edna Nelson Program Spring 2025 CALI Winners Summer 2025 CALI Winners Fall 2025 CALI Winners…

brynna smith

April 7, 2026

Mizzou Law 3L publishes paper in American Bankruptcy Institute Journal

Brynna Smith, a 3L at Mizzou Law, recently published a paper in the student galley of the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal, which is a significant organization in the bankruptcy field. Her paper, “Detroit v. Everybody: Governance Reform and the Limits of Chapter 9” explores Detroit’s descent from a thriving industrial city to the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. The piece suggests that Detroit’s experience may be especially significant at a time of increased debt and economic uncertainty. It analyzes how Chapter 9’s treatment of municipal bankruptcy contrasts with Chapter 11’s…

students hold third place trophy

March 23, 2026

Mizzou Law students shine in international negotiation competition

Two teams of Mizzou Law students excelled at the recent National Black Law Students Association Nelson Mandela International Negotiation Competition. The team of Shyann Sampson and Josie Johnson finished in third place out of 20 teams from across the country, while Mackenzie White and Samiat Solebo finished in the quarterfinals.

luke nutwell, andrew durham, paige harris, thomas yang and thom lambert

March 3, 2026

Mizzou Law teams excel in national moot court competition

Two Mizzou Law teams competed in the Global Antitrust Institute’s Moot Court Competition, which both teams reaching at least the quarterfinals. Competing against teams from some of the top law schools in the country, 2L Andrew Durham and 3L Thomas Yang reached the quarterfinals in the competition and also won the award for best brief in the entire competition. 3Ls Paige Harris and Luke Nutwell defeated a team from the University of Michigan to advance to the semi-finals, where they argued in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. That team lost to…

mizzou law mock trial teams

Feb. 24, 2026

Mizzou Law Mock Trial teams excel in regionals

Mizzou Law mock trial teams excelled at the recent National Trial Competition regional, hosted by Washburn University in Kansas. Mizzou Law’s two teams, Team Black and Team Gold competed against 24 teams from law schools across six states, including Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and New Mexico. Team Black, featuring Rachel Carlson, Steven Flanders and Jordan Vitiello, won its first four trials, making it all the way to the Final Four before being narrowly defeated. Mizzou Law Team Black finished in the final four of the competition. Team Gold, featuring Grant Slusher, Dallas Welling and…