Judge Willis’ advice for today’s Laurel girls:

1. Do not ever dim your light for anyone. As women, in the spaces you will be entering in whatever profession you choose, you will likely be the minority, which can feel disempowering. My viewpoint is: if I see a space where nobody looks like me, I am not the problem, the problem is the space I am entering. Women will make these spaces better just by being a part of them.

2. As someone who has dedicated herself to public service, any Laurel girl, no matter their socioeconomic status, is a person of privilege. It is an obligation as a Laurel girl to give back and do something for the good. I encourage Laurel girls to find ways to give back, whether through their professions or during their spare time, so they may help pay it forward.

Looking back at her years at Laurel, Judge Willis said without a doubt that her time as a student played a pivotal role in setting her up for professional success. “Critical thinking,” she stated emphatically. “When I think about the instruction I had at Laurel, there was a lot of learning about the process of how to think, not what to think. We were taught to dig deep to support our ideas and come to our conclusions. A lawyer of any kind must analyze words and writing. We are litigating and persuading both in writing and through the spoken word. We need to glean meaning from the words and also identify any omissions. I was taught this textual analysis at Laurel,” she said.

Judge Willis also said the smaller class sizes at Laurel helped her to build confidence and fully participate in discussions. “I learned at Laurel to raise my hand, to speak my mind, and to feel confident in doing so. This was a huge value for single-sex education and something I took without even realizing it from my time at Laurel.”

Judge Willis also recalled Laurel’s Senior Speech requirement, participation in speech and debate, and her involvement in theater, all of which taught her not just how to write but how to deliver a positive and compelling presentation. “As a former litigator, Laurel was transformative and instrumental,” she noted.

Since graduating from Laurel, Judge Willis keeps in touch with former classmates and remains involved as an alumna. In 2020, she was invited by former history teacher Tim Connell to speak to a group of Capstone students. “I spoke about my work as a public defender with a focus on rehabilitating guilty people—are there rehabilitative things we can do to help people,” she said. “A large percentage of my clients did, in fact commit some crime. One of my chief roles was to look for a way to help my clients, which often involved trying to understand their perspective and their history, and then trying to frame that experience for a judge.” Judge Willis is also a member of Laurel’s Distinguished Alumnae Committee this year and is excited to contribute.