Jessica Vigars '11, who was recently elected as the Student Trustee on the Albany Law School Board of Trustees, focused on elementary and special education before enrolling in law school.

"Prior to coming to Albany Law, I spent most summers teaching pre-school children and doing arts and crafts," she explained. "During the school visits as part of the education curriculum at SUNY Geneseo and my student teaching, I saw teachers' frustration with the effect of state and federal legislation and the actual impact it was having in the classroom."

"I applied to law school because I want to work in public education beyond just the classroom," she said.

Now entering her third year at Albany Law, Vigars is spending the summer as a legal intern at Young Sommer Ward Ritzenberg Baker & Moore, LLC, in Albany. Last summer, she worked as a legal intern for the State University of New York's (SUNY) Office of University Counsel, researching higher education law and its impact on SUNY campuses.

In addition to being the only student elected to serve on the Board of Trustees for the 2010/2011 academic year, Vigars was also recently elected as Executive Editor for New York Appeals on the Albany Law Review. She has also worked with Professor Kathe Klare as a research assistant in the field of special education law.

After graduation from Albany Law, Vigars said that she plans to become involved in the education system of New York.

"I sincerely believe that nothing is more important," she said.