Western Michigan University Cooley Law School Blog

WMU-Cooley graduate Matt Super not only overcame a head injury and PTSD to graduate from law school, he also managed to pass the bar on his first try. Read about Matt's journey in the Detroit Legal News story by Sheila Pursglove below.

Everyone faces times in life when they are put down, minimized, or demoralized. For most it’s a choice of take it to heart or let it roll off. For Ray Petty, those events were many and early on in life when he was just learning self-confidence. As a child he could have accepted comments that deemed him a poor reader, not smart enough, not tall enough, not fast enough.  He could have believed them instead of in himself. But Senior Airman Petty knew early on he had a mission. Today that mission is coming to fruition, thanks to an amazingly resilient character, and an amazingly resilient family.

Aspiring lawyers are often drawn to the law because it offers the opportunity to serve others, to make things right and to help those who cannot help themselves. But as law students become immersed in the rigors of their education, they sometimes find they are the ones who need a shoulder to lean on. At WMU-Cooley’s Tampa campus, that shoulder belongs to Willie Damon. Damon is a campus security guard who is “the face” of the law school every time you enter the facility. He started out at WMU-Cooley during construction and has been there ever since, welcoming new students, befriending those who need a listening ear, and wishing graduates well as they move forward in life. As the father of five daughters, a son and grandfather of 12, he’s a natural when it comes to giving.

Throughout its development and growth, WMU-Cooley Law School has been fortunate to engage the services of very gifted and dedicated adjunct (part-time) professors. Twenty years ago, the school initiated a way to honor one outstanding adjunct professor each year with an award recognizing them before their students and peers.

Every month, WMU-Cooley features one of its military students, faculty or graduates and their journey from the military to law school. This blog features WMU-Cooley student Brien Brockway, a U.S. Army Veteran. He was a Fire Team Leader with the infantry in Afghanistan. After careful consideration, he decided to change careers to allow more time with his family. That decision led him to law school at WMU-Cooley, a military friendly and designated Yellow Ribbon School.

WMU-Cooley, as a military friendly and designated Yellow Ribbon School, talks to its military students, faculty and graduates about their journey from the military to law school and about their career goals. This month’s feature is WMU-Cooley student Derek Grisard, who currently works in Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base as an imagery analyst in the Intelligence Community.