Maddie Wingert, senior non-profit leadership and communication major, will attend the  Washington University School of Law in St. Louis this fall. Alongside an acceptance rate of just 14%, Washington University is ranked 16th in U.S. News’ 2022 list of best law schools. 

Wingert did not decide to go to law school until her junior year at William Jewell College. 

“I’ve always wanted to work with a non-profit and a lot of my internships I had I really liked, but I realized that’s not really the kind of work I want to do with a non-profit,” Wingert said. “I talked with my professors and my parents and I realized that law school was the right path.”  

After law school, Wingert said she plans on going into human rights or public interest law. 

At Jewell, Wingert was a member of the volleyball team, a Pryor fellow and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. She said these activities helped her become more confident. 

“I’m still shy, but I was really shy in high school and Jewell forced me out of my shell,” Wingert said. “I’ve had a lot of opportunities that I didn’t expect and I think that’s part of the reason that I am going to law school.” 

She said the most difficult part about Jewell has been the Critical Thought and Inquiry courses, which have made her think differently about complex topics. Her favorite course was CTI 240: “Reading the Bible: Then and Now” with Bradley Chance, professor of Core Curriculum. 

While Wingert missed out on experiences due to restrictions from the pandemic, she said the extra free time helped her make the fateful decision to go to law school. Despite the restrictions, however, she said she is satisfied with how Jewell adapted. 

“It’s definitely been different, and it stinks that we missed out on things, but it’s cool to see how Jewell has adapted,” Wingert said. “I still had a lot of in-person classes and we get [to bring] guests for graduation.” 

Wingert said she will miss the people at Jewell, yet she is ultimately looking forward to the change. 

“I am excited to move to St. Louis because I’m from the Kansas City area so I’ve always been around here,” Wingert said. “I’m so excited to see something new and be on my own.”