Student Spotlight: Krishna Thomas '08
When people discover that I am the single mother of an energetic four-year-old, the first question I’m asked is “how do you handle being a mom and a law student?” The simple answer is that even though I am single, I am not alone. My classmates and I shared similar hopes, dreams, and fears coming into law school — and we have each faced our own challenges. My law school experience has been one of working within the NDLS community to reach common goals together.
My flexible student schedule and my daughter Kyla’s flexible daycare schedule has allowed us to spend more time in each others’ lives than we otherwise would. I spend time with Kyla’s ND community (she attends the on-campus daycare) by accompanying her class on field trips and occasionally joining her class for circle time. Likewise, Kyla sometimes accompanies me to class, meetings, and study groups. She has been able to get a unique glimpse into life as a law student at a very early age.
Kyla has enjoyed sitting in on a Student Bar Association (SBA) meeting – and due to our president’s efficient running of the meeting, Kyla may still believe that the SBA president is in charge of the whole law school. On the social front, Kyla appreciates being able to stay up past her bedtime once a week this semester to watch mommy’s team in the NDLS bowling league. She has been excited to reconnect with NDLS students who have reached out to us in a number of ways — from sharing a meal with us to taking a road trip with us so I could interview for summer internships without worrying about childcare.
Kyla sits in with me on a class once a semester. Her favorite class thus far has been Business Associations; however she had the most laughs in Federal Income Taxation (the fact that a professor can make an income tax class humorous is evidence of the excellent faculty at NDLS). In addition to sitting in those classes with me, Kyla has observed me in study groups to prepare for final examinations.
Most telling of her feeling of our involvement in the NDLS community is the reaction when I showed Kyla the plaque that the ND Jessup International Moot Court team won during the regional competition. She gave me a huge hug while simultaneously jumping up and down. I said, “you must be very proud of mommy.” Kyla responded, “and your friends too!” I was happy to hear her acknowledge that I did not advance in the competition on my own and hopeful that she continues to recognize that success is usually a team effort.
To learn more about Krishna, view her student profile page.
