priyanka deo: taking a stand for justice
A Very Late Decision
Priyanka Deo decided to come to UIS ten days before the fall semester started.
“I was going to a school in Boston,” she says.
But when problems cropped up, and she got an e-mail from the tennis coach at UIS, she decided to come here.
What was she thinking?
It must have seemed like an odd choice for Priyanka—a small public university surrounded by cornfields—but she’s never been sorry.
“It’s been a good experience for me from the start. There are really small classes and students get one-on-one time with every teacher. You can talk to them about anything—it doesn’t even have to be school related.”
A tennis player, award-winning debater, and extremely successful student, Priyanka is majoring in political science and anthropology. She plans to enter law school.
A Special Learning—and Service—Opportunity
Thanks to an internship with UIS’ Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, Priyanka has a much better idea than most undergraduates about what a lawyer does. A national program, usually only graduate students are eligible for the program.
“I have talked to some of my friends at other universities,” Priyanka says, “and it’s so competitive where they are. I just called over there, and they said, ‘Oh, you want to work with us? Great. Come on over.’”
As part of her internship, she has reviewed cases, looked over trial transcripts and summarized them. She also helped to get a law in place (related to investigation techniques).
Because of all this, Priyanka has a much better idea than most undergraduates do about the long hours of careful work that being a lawyer entails.
“UIS is just a great place for opportunities and internships,” Priyanka says.
You Can Have a Role
If you would like to support a student like Priyanka, working for the Downstate Innocence Project, please use the How You Can Help link at left to learn about funds for the Innocence Project. You could also contact Stacey Willenborg, our gift officer for the Innocence Project, or use the link at left to Send Us A Question. We look forward to hearing from you!
