“I'm deeply honored to receive this award from an organization that has championed women in the law for over 125 years, and I'm grateful to my professors and mentors who helped me get here. Studying under top environmental law scholars and leading Vanderbilt's environmental law journal reinforced my belief that fighting for women and fighting for our planet are inseparable causes: the most vulnerable women and communities bear the heaviest burden of a changing climate. I'm excited to carry that conviction into my work with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings's Renewable Energy practice group and to help build a cleaner, more just world for the women who come after us.”

– Rena Childers, on receiving the 2026 NAWL Outstanding Law Student Award for Vanderbilt University Law School.