LEAD Alumni


Two KU Law graduates are first to complete LEAD program

When Nate Crosser and Samantha Wagner signed up for the LEAD program as 18-year-olds, they were on a fast track to law school. Now, six years later, they are law school graduates and the first two students to complete the program.​Samantha Wagner, L'18 and Nate Crosser, L'19
Nate Crosser and Samantha Wagner

The right place at the right time

Ever since I was a little kid, I have wanted to be a lawyer. When my mom would read stories to me before bed, I remember there was a book all about people who work (construction workers, teachers, doctors, etc.). However, like most kids for no rational reason, I only wanted my mom to read one page: the one with the people in suits carrying briefcases and talking to a jury.
Zachary Kelsay networks at KU Law’s annual Diversity in Law Banquet on February 22, 2019. Photo by Earl Richardson Photography.

From newbie to whiz kid

“The best three years of your life that you will never want to experience again.” That was how a current lawyer and mentor described law school to me. And let me tell you, he was right. I am currently in my first year, and it is the most challenging, stressful thing I have ever done. That being said, I am loving law school! It is amazing, and I have made closer friends in the last few months than I had through years of undergrad.
photo of Samantha Wagner, a 1L and KU Law Student Ambassador from Paola, Kansas.