"I had a friend who graduated
from Wisconsin and he told me,
'Wisconsin doesn't just produce
great law students; it produces
great lawyers.'"
Hometown: Columbus, Mississippi
Education: B.A., Millsaps College (History and
English)
Law School Activities:
- Wisconsin Mock Trial Team
- Wisconsin Moot Court Team
- Semi-Finalist in Wisconsin Moot Court Omar Megahed Competition
- Competitor in Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition
- Frank J. Remington Center’s Criminal Appeals Project
- Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi Fellowship
Scott Colom was born in Mississippi, raised in Mississippi, attended college in Mississippi, and plans to return to Mississippi after law school. But Scott decided along the way that he would be challenged and enriched by gaining a broad view of the world and its people.
His decision to take a risk and come to Wisconsin for law school
wasn’t an easy one, but it has paid off for him. Scott, who
graduates this year, is one of 28 young legal professionals
nationwide to become a 2009 Skadden Fellow. The prestigious Skadden
Fellowship, created by the New York law firm of Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Meager & Flom, funds graduating law students who wish to
devote their professional lives to providing legal services to the
poor, elderly, homeless, disabled, and people deprived of civil or
human rights. When Scott graduates, he will work with the
Mississippi Center for Justice in Jackson, Mississippi. He will
receive funding for two years to work on a project he designed with
future colleagues at the Center: advocacy to end payday lending in
the Mississippi Delta by launching an outreach and education
program and creating an alternative loan fund.
Scott’s path to public service began well before law school.
Before coming to Wisconsin, Scott attended Millsaps College, a
small private liberal arts college in Jackson, Mississippi, with a
reputation for highly active, socially conscious undergrads, many
of whom work with volunteer organizations. There, Scott was on the
basketball team, tutored under privileged second graders, hosted
forums on AIDS awareness, and volunteered with Mississippi
Foster/Adopt Consortium for Kids.
After Millsaps, Scott challenged himself in a variety of ways. In
particular, he reached far beyond his comfort zone, geographically
and culturally. He lived for a year in Guyana, South America,
teaching English for the Republic of Guyana Ministry of Education.
He chose Wisconsin for law school, coming to the Midwest for the
first time, and, after his first year of law school, he worked in
Arusha, Tanzania, as a legal intern for the United Nations
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. In that position, he
researched and drafted memoranda on various issues regarding
International Criminal Law and attended tribunals with the
supervising attorneys.
Scott Colom is a remarkable young man, and he will no doubt take
what he’s learned use it to improve the lives of others. And when
he goes back to Mississippi, he’ll be bringing with him
knowledge, experiences, and friendships gained from living and
working in places far different from his beloved home state
Read more in "An Interview with Scott Colom"