“I was a non-traditional law student. I am a first generation college and graduate student, Shoshone and Mexican American woman, who came to law school after a previous career in secondary public school reform and design in Texas. Going to law school was an exciting venture to rekindle my goals for community impact, youth and environmental justice. I braided these legal interests with my commitment to community-centered needs, advocating for tribal sovereignty, education rights, and youth justice. Receiving this NAWL award is such an honor to me and I feel warmly embraced for being true to myself in my legal education and advocacy I've served to my community, youth, and tribal nations.

I was a founding member of the Maine Law's Native American Law Students Association chapter, serving as Maine Law’s co-chair with another Native colleague. I also worked as a Education Law and Policy Intern for Family Equality, a Penobscot Nation Legal Intern for the Penobscot Nation Judicial System, a Qualified Expert Witness for Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) testimonies. I also served as a student attorney for the Clinics at Maine Law in the Youth Justice Clinic. In this role, I was able to plan outreach projects, advocate for emerging adult clients facing criminal charges and for their educational rights, as well as litigate a contested hearing involving a protection order against a young client with disabilities. I could be found at most Maine Law events, if not as an organizer then as an avid participant, often contributing through musical performance, comedy, or cooking. My graduating class selected me as their student speaker at Graduation on May 24, 2025."

- Holly Fain, a graduating student from the University of Maine School of Law.