IIT Chicago-Kent names 2015 Oyez Scholars

Austin Ferguson, Anna Jirschele, Matt Kasl, Katherine Ann LaRosa, Ryan Mark-Griffin and Terrance L. Scotton, first-year students at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, have been selected as Oyez Scholars. The students will spend the school year as paid researchers working under the direction of Oyez founder and IIT Chicago-Kent research professor Jerry Goldman to create content for Oyez.org.

Established in 1997, Oyez serves as a multimedia resource providing free, open access to the Supreme Court of the United States. Oyez.org and its mobile apps offer plain-English case summaries, decision information, opinions, and transcript-synchronized audio recordings dating back to 1955. The site receives approximately 8 million annual visits and is cited often by NPR, The New York Times, and CNN. Oyez is housed at IIT Chicago-Kent.

"Oyez Scholars gain familiarity with the U.S. Supreme Court by direct contribution," said Professor Goldman. "From case summaries to in-depth court analysis on contemporary topics, students learn crucial job-related skills."

Former Oyez student-researchers have gone on to work for the White House; the law firm of Jones Day; Latham & Watkins; and Venable LLP. Others have clerked for federal judges on U.S. District Courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and at the Supreme Court of the United States.

This year's class of Oyez Scholars bring a wealth of enthusiasm and experience.

  • Austin Ferguson earned his undergraduate degree in music theory, with a minor in government from the University of Texas at Austin. Ferguson is a teacher, singer, composer, carillonneur, pianist and organist. 
  • Anna Jirschele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a triple major in legal studies, political science and sociology. Jirschele has completed internships with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and Illinois state senator Dan Duffy.
  • Matt Kasl completed his undergraduate education in political science at Norwich University. He is a Marine Corps veteran with more than six years of service including combat duty in Afghanistan.
  • Katherine Ann LaRosa is a James Joyce scholar who earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in English literature from Radford University, where she also served on the faculty. 
  • Ryan Mark-Griffin graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in social theory and practice. 
  • Terrance L. Scotton attended Northwestern University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a concentration in international relations and a minor in legal studies. Prior to law school, he completed internships with Northwestern's Center on Wrongful Convictions and the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth. Scotton also served as an editorial assistant at thelaw.tv and worked two years as a paralegal and attorney assistant at two Chicago law firms.

Founded in 1888, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law is the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law.

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