Eastern Oregon University > What's the good word? > web quotes > Mary Lakey

“I’ve been living in Denver for about a year, working for a special education attorney here and I love it. We represent children with disabilities who are not being provided a free appropriate public education (FAPE). The attorney I work for recently won a landmark case that was ultimately decided by the US Supreme Court. I find great satisfaction in knowing that I am working toward real change for a population that needs it. EOU and Anth/Soc helped me get to where I am. In fact, it was my background in sociology and the behavioral therapy I was doing in Idaho that helped me get hired at this firm. Because of the type of law I work in, I also end up working with a lot of people who are in very difficult situations and who do not know how to navigate bureaucracy. I am constantly relying on what I learned at EOU in dealing with these situations. I am the front line for talking with clients and walking them through the process, and I even get to advocate for them in certain cases.”

Mary Lakey
Anthropology/Sociology
Denver, Colo.