It was the Spring of 1997, I was a second year law student at Wash U. I should add that I was rather small, and Jewish. I was already in love with being a law student at Wash U. I felt the enthusiasm, energy and brilliance radiate from my professors and fellow students. It was a real treat to be a student at Wash U, kind of like a spoiled kid during holiday time. Of course, it was also really special that I had met my future husband on the first day of our orientation the year before. Our orientation group consisted of about 10 people, and meeting my husband within that group was the start of an amazing journey.

I sat in my Constitutional Law class with Professor La Pierre. I so vividly remember around the middle of the semester, he walked around and personally handed each of us a new case. The stack of papers had been photocopied and stapled together; it was too new to be included in our textbook, but as Professor La Pierre walked around with his long hair, beard and thick glasses, he noted it was an important one. It was US v. Virginia (1996). We spent the next few classes focusing on Justice Ginsburg’s majority opinion in which, under the Equal Protection Clause, the Court struck down The Virginia MIlitary Academy’s (VMI) ability to exclude women and keep the school all male. The case was our final study of gender as a suspect class, and I would not forget it.

Since that time, I have learned more about Justice Ginsburg and not only what she achieved for herself, all women and our society, but how she achieved. As the first Jewish woman on the Court, she was known to write, speak and live with thought, passion and care. She succeeded at Harvard Law School among nearly all men, while she cared for her newborn daughter and her ill husband. I thought about this as I was a young law professor trying to teach, publish and care for newborn twins. Despite my thoughts returning to RBG’s abilities, I couldn’t do it and left my position. As I stayed home for many years with my twins, and younger son down the road, I was constantly reminded of how RBG led with thought, passion and care. You can parent this way, befriend this way, advocate this way, and live your life this way whether you are in law or not.

Not only have I kept RBG’s way in my head and heart, but Wash U has remained a deep part of me. I am reminded of how fortunate I was to learn in such an incredibly kind, motivating, and inspiring environment. Those newborn twins are now seniors in high school, and while I have gone back to part time law teaching through the years, I now watch them apply to college. My son is a politics junky, and my daughter hopes to help children with social and emotional challenges. I can only hope their academic experiences to come are even close to the amazing experiences and opportunities I, and their dad, had at Wash U. And I hope that they have learned to live their lives with thought, passion and care.

RBG and Wash U are so intertwined for me; both are legacies that have taught me so much and will stay with me for my lifetime.