Law Students' Corner
| Publication year | 2019 |
| Pages | 52 |
| Citation | Vol. 88 No. 1 Pg. 52 |
Work-Life Balance and Today's Law Student
by Elyssa Ellis and Kasie Van Donge
Law students are unique in that they attend law school from varying walks of life, with dissimilar backgrounds and life experiences. It is a privilege to meet and learn from our fellow classmates and peers. Our peers challenge us, question us, and ultimately make us better lawyers. Kasie VanDonge, Class of 2020, brings hard work and excellent time-management to every facet of her life. Kasie is a valuable student to Washburn Law as well as a co-owner of The White Linen, a fine dining restaurant. I sat down with Kasie during a break from studying to learn how she deals with the challenges of law school and life.
EE: Let's start off with what you and your husband did before you came to law school last year?
KV: My husband Adam and I owned a sandwich shop in Holton where he was the chef. One weekend a month, we also did "Drum Room dinners"ﾝ which are seven course meals. Adam would prepare and I would serve. I also worked full time for the Jackson County Clerk's Office where I did a variety of things such as resolutions, contracts, elections, budgeting, taxes, HR and PR. I had the opportunity to learn a lot and I really loved that job. But I knew I wanted to go to law school.
EE: When you started law school did you know that you and your husband were going to open a new restaurant at the same time?
KV: Actually, we received a phone call from someone who had heard about our monthly dinners and suggested that we invest in a restaurant in downtown Topeka. The day we met with the owner of the building about the restaurant was the same day I got the call from Washburn congratulating me on being accepted. It was quite a day.
EE: So you both experienced a career change and your dream careers came true.
KV: Yes, it was surreal.
EE: Why did you choose Washburn Law School—because it was so close or . . . ?
KV: No! I loved Washburn. I knew the law school was a close-knit community that would be a good environment for learning. I saw the renovations being made on campus. I was so proud of Washburn and I just hoped they would let me in. EE: Going back to the restaurant -- give me a bit of background about downtown Topeka and how this project evolved.
KV: We looked at several buildings and choose the Columbian Building, the most historic one. We invested time...
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