A Legacy of Giving
Giovanna McLaughlin didn’t follow a straight path to law school. She had more of a hopscotch approach to her career path. There were stops along the way in Idaho to ski and study the mountains, and a couple of years in Italy to earn a degree in Italian culture and literature. And then, another degree after a few years at San Francisco State University.
You’d think someone with such worldly experiences would have a truckload of confidence as she entered The University of Montana’s School of Law.
Not in Giovanna’s case.
“When I started law school, I was really nervous about my abilities. I wasn’t really sure how I would perform. I wasn’t sure how I would measure up with other students.”
That’s when Giovanna received a little confidence booster called The Stephen H. and Beverly H. Foster Scholarship. Receiving such a prominent scholarship “really gave me the confidence and encouragement I needed to go forward. That was perhaps the most important part of the scholarship award.”
Of course, the fact that it lifted a huge financial burden off her shoulders didn’t hurt either.
The Foster Scholarship is one of many scholarships at The University of Montana that are established through the long-range vision of donors. Donors are able to create permanent endowments through estate plans and other means of deferred giving, so that year after year, the scholarship is there to support current and future students.
“It would have been difficult financially to go through law school without having to get an outside job,” said Giovanna. And, of course an outside job demands a huge amount of time and takes students away from their studies. “The Foster Scholarship provided me with peace of mind about my finances and allowed me to focus on the task at hand, which was learning. It facilitated the learning experience.”
Winning the scholarship gave Giovanna new freedom. It allowed her to apply for internships at law firms. Her internship led to her first job once she graduated. “The scholarship was instrumental in my career,” she said.
The Foster Scholarship was only the beginning of the cycle of support Giovanna received at The University of Montana. The law school gave her an education few other schools can match. “The curriculum focuses on the practical aspect of law and how to handle cases. We’re given our own clients and have to appear before judges and argue cases. When we graduate, we can hit the ground running because we can competently handle cases on our own. In that regard we’re assets to the law firms we eventually work for.”
Support for Giovanna continued after graduation in the community of lawyers she found waiting for her. “The attorneys here are close-knit. There’s a real sense of camaraderie. It’s something we’re taught in law school—the notion that you always need to treat the other attorneys with respect. Even if they’re your arch rivals. It’s that sense of closeness among attorneys that makes me want to give back to the school.” Which Giovanna does through a mentoring program set up by the Women’s Law Caucus. It’s how she helps bring along the next generation of UM law students. Eventually, she sees herself setting up a scholarship of her own and encourages her fellow graduates to do the same.
“The Foster family’s visionary gift didn’t just affect me. It affected everyone: my clients, my career, and my relationships with law students by mentoring. It inspired me to give to the community, just like the Fosters gave to me. It’s a continuum of giving.” A continuum Giovanna plans to pass along throughout her career and life.