“Mr. Weigand, Jr., loved Kansas a great deal to leave this generous gift to the people of Kansas. I am impressed by the dedication of the men and women who are beneficiaries of the Weigand Trust, and I am truly honored to be counted among them this year.”
Heather McCollum
Washburn University
Weigand Scholar: 2009
Hometown:
Marquette, KS
Education:
B.A., English and History-Political Science
Bethany College, 2005
- Graduated summa cum laude
- Caleb Hall, Vera Hall Bartlett and Spencer F. Bartlett Senior Respect Award
- Lambda Iota Tau Writing Scholarship
J.D., Washburn University School of Law, 2009
- John F. Kuether Memorial Faculty Award
- John D. Ensley Memorial Award
- Executive Editor, Washburn Law Journal
Publications:
- Punishment Defanged: How the United States Supreme Court Has Undermined the Legitimacy and Effectiveness of Punitive Damages [Philip Morris USA v. Williams, 127 S. Ct. 1057 (2007)], Washburn Law Journal, Vol. 47
From a small town upbringing, Heather knows the value of community. In 2000, Heather graduated from Smoky Valley High School in Lindsborg, Kansas, where she taught American Red Cross swimming lessons, participated in community musical theater, and performed in seasonal brass ensembles.
While attending Bethany College in Lindsborg, Heather served on the Educational Policies Committee, sang in the annual oratorio society for the Messiah and St. Matthew Passion, presented literary criticism and historical research at various humanities conferences, and wrote for The Messenger, Bethany’s student newspaper. After college, she worked as a research intern for the Kansas Legislative Research Department in Topeka, where she attended committee meetings, prepared research memoranda for legislators, and presented on policy initiatives in neighboring states.
In her first year of law school, Heather received Top Papers in four of her classes. In her second year, she participated in a Federal Judicial Clerkship Externship with the Hon. Julie A. Robinson in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. Her case comment, Punishment Defanged: How the United States Supreme Court Has Undermined the Legitimacy and Effectiveness of Punitive Damages [Philip Morris USA v. Williams, 127 S. Ct. 1057 (2007)], was selected for publication in Volume 47 of the Washburn Law Journal.
In April 2008, the Washburn faculty awarded her the John F. Kuether Memorial Faculty Award for Best Comment, and the John D. Ensley Memorial Award for Excellence in Legal Writing for the Top Memo of the Spring 2007 Writing Competition. Heather served as Executive Editor for Volume 48 of the Washburn Law Journal. For two summers, Heather worked as a summer associate for Fleeson, Gooing, Coulson & Kitch, LLP, in Wichita, Kansas.
In September, 2008, Heather was awarded a highly-sought after position as a term law clerk with Judge Julie Robinson in the United States District Court, District of Kansas.
“Living and studying in Kansas has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Kansas has been fertile ground for me to pursue my dreams, and the Weigand Trust has brought those dreams within reach. I look forward to serving the people who have shaped my life and who have opened to me new opportunity for the future.”