We've always been a law school for people who work hard, persevere, and refuse to let obstacles define them.
Formed from the merger of two evening law schools created so people could earn a law degree without giving up their jobs or family responsibilities, CSU College of Law has always been a place of access, grit, and determination. Opportunity has been in our DNA from the start.
I'd like to share a story I recently learned about one of our alumni that powerfully captures that spirit: Terrence Ferrer '95.
Terrence was wrongfully convicted in 1973 and spent more than a decade in prison before finally being exonerated in 1986. During his incarceration, he refused to give up on himself or his dreams. He earned a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a legal research certification—all while behind bars. After he was acquitted on retrial, he didn't stop there. He came to what was then Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and earned his J.D. in 1995, just two years before his untimely passing at age 43.
Terrence understood firsthand how a single injustice can derail a life and how critical it is to have advocates who won't give up on the truth. That's why his story resonates so deeply with the work happening today in our Terry Gilbert Wrongful Conviction Clinic, where our students and faculty carry forward the same fight for justice that gave Terrence his freedom. They investigate claims of actual innocence, which is exactly the kind of advocacy that changed Terrence's life and made his legal education possible.
Terrence's personal legacy also lives on through the recently established Jeffrey A. Kaplan Scholarship Fund in Memory of Terrence Ferrer. We are deeply grateful to Jeffrey Kaplan '94 for this generous gift, which supports students in the Legal Career Opportunities Program and ensures that Terrence's spirit of perseverance continues to open doors for the next generation of law students.
At CSU College of Law, this is who we are. We are—and have always been—a school of opportunity. A place where people from all walks of life learn law, pursue justice, and change the world.
Warmly,
Carolyn