A Lifetime of Service

Washburn Law alumnus Zach Bealer, ’21, practiced for just one year before passing away in 2022, but through a scholarship named in his honor, his legacy will continue indefinitely. The very first recipient of the Zach Bealer Memorial Award was Gabby Hill, a current student from Kansas City, Missouri, who received the award in May 2024. Carolyn Gonzales, ’25, and Nikki Jackson, ’25, are this year’s two recipients of the award, a scholarship that recognizes and supports Washburn Law Clinic interns who choose to work in public interest upon graduation.

Bealer had dedicated his life to public service. Prior to attending Washburn Law, he lived in Guatemala for five years, where he served in a variety of capacities, including working for Doctors Without Borders, teaching English and Spanish, and working at a private school.

“Zach’s life’s work was to help marginalized people,” said Ruth (Bealer) Schiller, Bealer’s mother. “Once he committed to something, he never backed out.”

Schiller said serving others was a way of dealing with his own personal hardship. In 2011, Bealer’s twin brother, Ryan, passed away.

“That left such a big hole in Zach that he had to fill up,” Schiller said. “He had trauma and tragedies in his life but was determined to rise above them. I think that was a good connection to those he served.”

Bealer saw getting his law degree as another step toward his goal of dedicating his life to serving others. But that didn’t mean simply showing up to class. While Bealer’s glowing resume had law schools across the country trying to recruit him, Schiller said he chose Washburn because of the resources and assistance that enabled him to get involved.

“Zach didn’t see Washburn as just a pathway,” Schiller said. “He saw it as an experience to get everything out of it that he could. He was there to do it all.”

In addition to being a Law Clinic intern, Bealer was a mentor and recruiter for the law school. After graduation, he worked for Martinez Immigration Law, LLC, helping immigrants obtain their U.S. citizenship.

After his passing, when Schiller learned Washburn Law wanted to name a scholarship for Bealer, she saw it as a way for her son to live on.

“I was so proud and so pleased,” Schiller said. “I just love that everyone remembers Zach through the scholarship.”

A Voice for the Underrepresented 

Nikki Jackson received the scholarship for the fall 2024 semester. Coming from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Jackson was motivated by the desire to help people in her community as well as others in need of legal resources.

“I come from a marginalized community that is underrepresented in the law,” Jackson said. “Through my professional and personal experiences, I didn’t like not having access to representation that could adequately represent my interests.”

Before she ever considered a career in law, Jackson worked for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation for roughly 15 years as a preschool teacher, in social services, and for her tribal government.

While the spark to help others was always within Jackson, she said losing her mother was a pivotal moment that gave her the push to enroll. Reflecting on a time when she tried to help her mother sort out a legal issue when she could not get representation, she remembered her mother’s encouragement.

“Losing a parent is really life changing,” Jackson said. “I remember my mom telling me, ‘You should be a lawyer.’”

As a wife and mother of four, Jackson knew it would be challenging to go back to school. She originally sought to earn her master’s degree at Washburn Law, with no intention of going for her juris doctor. But once she got started, things changed.

“I had a lot of support from the faculty and my peers who convinced me to go for it,” Jackson said. “Three years had seemed like a long time, but it has flown by.”

Outside of law school, Jackson serves on the Family First Council, an advisory group that provides input on Kansas’ child welfare systems. She is also on the Impact Aid Committee, which advises the school on how to use Impact Aid funds, which are provided by the federal government to help offset the loss of local tax revenue due to the presence of federal reservation land.

Jackson joined the Law Clinic to have another way to help others and explore her interest in criminal law through work representing Topeka clients with misdemeanors and felonies.

After graduation, she will work for a judge in the Kansas Court of Appeals and said the Law Clinic gave her the practical experience she hoped for while giving her another way to help others.

“The Clinic and their work is really important, and it’s needed,” Jackson said. “I really hope people continue to support the Clinic and that the community knows it is there.”

Another Avenue to Serve

For Carolyn Gonzales, the most recent award recipient, joining the Washburn Law Clinic was a no-brainer.

“I’m very much a practical person,” Gonzales said. “Doing public and community service work has always meant a lot to me.”

Gonzales’ dedication to public service began when she was an undergraduate at New Mexico State University working in the school’s foundation and scholarship department.

“While I was there, it was engrained in me to always give back to the communities because without them, you wouldn’t have anything,” Gonzales said. “I learned to always give back to people who are willing to help you, people who are less fortunate than you. Just to always give back no matter what.”

Prior to Washburn, Gonzales, who is from New Mexico, worked in the Law Office of the Public Defender, kickstarting her career in public service.

At Washburn Law, Gonzales served as president of the Women’s Legal Forum. During her time as president, she has organized student groups to go to the Kansas Capitol during legislative sessions to see how legislation works and how bills become laws. As the vice president of the Hispanic and Latino Student Association, she also organized events to get students to participate in citizenship classes.

“I think it is important to show students there are many avenues you can take with public service work,” Gonzales said. “It doesn’t necessarily have to involve working for Kansas Legal Aid or the public defender’s office or the prosecutor’s office.”

By participating in the Law Clinic, Gonzales said she’s been able to practice what it means to be an attorney outside of the classroom.

“I have loved every minute,” Gonzales said. “I like being a sense of support for the clients and helping them finish a chapter of their lives they’ve been struggling with.”

Through her work at the Law Clinic, Gonzales said she learned about Bealer before she applied for the award. Knowing his commitment to public service made getting the award even more meaningful.

“It’s such an incredible award for such an incredible person,” Gonzales said. “I’ve been doing community service work since I’ve been an undergraduate, so it means a lot to be recognized for that. This is my future. This is all I could have ever wanted in my life.”

Gonzales knows her career will involve some form of public interest work. This summer, she will work in the Kansas Holistic Offender’s Office, a nonprofit that handles misdemeanor cases and other legal aid services.

“It is important people know that other people stand in their corner, especially those who can’t afford legal services,” Gonzales said. “It’s so good for the community to know there are people willing to help them.”

Lasting Connections

Schiller has attended each ceremony for Bealer’s award, making it a point to establish a relationship with each recipient. After learning about Jackson and Gonzales’ good work in and outside of campus, Schiller said she felt happy.

“Every single person who has received this scholarship is just like Zach,” Schiller said. “They have a mission; they have a purpose. For me, as his mom, it keeps him alive for me that other people are doing things he wanted to do.”

Both Jackson and Gonzales said they plan to keep in touch with Schiller.

“She’s somebody who wants to see me do well, and that’s needed in my life,” Jackson said. “I don’t have my parents, so it helps to have that personal support too and encouragement.”

Gonzales also now considers Schiller to be a part of her support system.

“I know I will always have someone like Ruth in my corner, just from receiving this award,” Gonzales said. “She genuinely cares about what I do in life, and that’s a very special thing.”

For Schiller, building relationships with the award recipients is part of her healing.

“I want to know what’s going on in their life, where they go and what they do,” Schiller said. “I also have a big hole I have to fill, and they helped to fill that hole.”