Helen Phillips - Student Ambassador

3L | Overland Park, Kansas | Wellesley College

helen.phillips@ku.edu | She/Her

Hi, everyone! My name is Helen Phillips, and I am a 3L. I grew up in the Kansas City area, but went to Wellesley College near Boston. I graduated in 2017 with a major in Spanish and minor in economics.

After college, I moved to Brownsville, Texas where I worked for the American Bar Association’s South Texas Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR). I worked with unaccompanied migrant children who are detained in government shelters near the U.S.-Mexican border. I gave Know Your Rights presentations, so the kids had a better understanding of how to navigate the U.S. immigration system. I also conducted individual legal screenings to help attorneys assess whether the kids qualified for any potential legal relief. It was a very challenging but rewarding experience and one that helped solidify my desire to go to law school.

Ultimately, I want to pursue some type of public interest or advocacy work for vulnerable populations. I am still not 100% certain what that will look like. And that’s okay! I have no doubt that with all the resources and classes that KU Law offers, I will figure it out.

I chose KU Law because I knew that I wanted to live and practice law in the Kansas City area, and KU Law has a great reputation. I also chose KU because when I visited, I could tell it was a very welcoming community. I sat in on a class and multiple people came up afterward and introduced themselves to me. It really showed me that KU Law is a supportive and welcoming environment. And it is still supportive and welcoming even after starting! Starting law school is a bit daunting, but my classmates and professors want to see everyone succeed.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! I look forward to hearing from you.