Building community
Student Anna L. Patton founded and developed the School of Law’s Disabled Law Student Collective.
Building community
Anna L. Patton is this year’s President’s Medallion recipient
Anna L. Patton, PhD—she/her
Expected Graduation: May 2026
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Longtime educator Anna L. Patton enrolled in law school to effect “meaningful, systemic educational change” for all students. She founded and developed the School of Law’s first affinity group for students with disability, the Disabled Law Student Collective. Now in its third year, the organization advocates for students through educational and social programs.
“Through [Loyola’s] Jesuit mission, justice is not just an abstract concept but is a living, breathing commitment,” Patton says. “I have been overjoyed to realize that my core values of equity and love are not just tolerated by others but are truly celebrated by a community committed to social justice.”
After graduation, Patton will complete a two-year public interest fellowship in special education law in Chicago.
Why did you enroll in law school?
I chose to apply to law school in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. I paused my 10-year career in education to attend Loyola Law because I wanted to make schools more just for all students. From oppressive, education-related legislation to the lackluster pandemic and gun death protections, what was once a small crack in the foundation of my lifelong vocation became a personal conviction to pursue meaningful, systemic educational change.
Tell us about your community service and extracurricular activities.
One of the most fulfilling has been founding and developing the first affinity group for law students with disability: the Disabled Law Student Collective. The Collective grew from my desire to build community with and for other law students with disabilities after spending much of my 1L year feeling alone and isolated. After identifying the need for an affinity space for us, I sought out others who shared a similar vision and wanted to be part of creating it. We have now successfully founded the organization, hosted our first events, and advocated for disability inclusion to the administration.
Outside of law school, I have also had the honor of serving as a curriculum consultant and subject-matter presenter in the areas of neurodiversity and inclusion for the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. After a request to the ChildLaw Center during my first year, I had the opportunity to present to a young troop about ways to support and include neurodivergent scouts. Over the last two-and-a-half years, I have led volunteer trainings, recorded professional development resources, and facilitated skill-building activities with organizational staff around equity literacy, leadership development, and disability inclusion. Giving back to the Scouts is a full-circle opportunity because the organization played a crucial role in my own childhood.
“Through our Jesuit mission, justice is not just an abstract concept but is a living, breathing commitment.”
What kind of research do you conduct?
Since the summer after my first year, I have supported faculty scholarship as a research assistant for Professor Carmen Gonzalez. I have incorporated expertise from my doctoral work in critical social theories with her legal work in discriminatory environmental policy and impacts. Our research highlights the complex interplay between environmental degradation and disability creation. Practical applications include identifying and challenging disparate impacts of environmental regulation. Most recently, I have supported Professor Gonzalez’s upcoming textbook publication on teaching Environmental Law survey courses.
Tell us about the scholarship support you’ve received from Loyola.
I am grateful to be a ChildLaw Fellow as well as a recipient of the Dean Appel Endowed Scholarship. The support of these programs relieves the financial pressures of shifting from a dual-income household to a single-income family. Additionally, as a person with disabilities, scholarship support creates a safety net for seeking and receiving disability-related care without concerns about the ability to pay.
What has been the best part of your Loyola experience?
The people. I am fortunate to have been surrounded by faculty and staff who relentlessly support my ideas and believe in my goals. From informal interactions like kind words in the hallways of Corboy or formal investments like providing letters of recommendation, I am truly humbled by and grateful for the professionals who saw and encouraged me throughout my time in law school. (March 2026)
Anna L. Patton, PhD—she/her
Expected Graduation: May 2026
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Longtime educator Anna L. Patton enrolled in law school to effect “meaningful, systemic educational change” for all students. She founded and developed the School of Law’s first affinity group for students with disability, the Disabled Law Student Collective. Now in its third year, the organization advocates for students through educational and social programs.
“Through [Loyola’s] Jesuit mission, justice is not just an abstract concept but is a living, breathing commitment,” Patton says. “I have been overjoyed to realize that my core values of equity and love are not just tolerated by others but are truly celebrated by a community committed to social justice.”
After graduation, Patton will complete a two-year public interest fellowship in special education law in Chicago.
Why did you enroll in law school?
I chose to apply to law school in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. I paused my 10-year career in education to attend Loyola Law because I wanted to make schools more just for all students. From oppressive, education-related legislation to the lackluster pandemic and gun death protections, what was once a small crack in the foundation of my lifelong vocation became a personal conviction to pursue meaningful, systemic educational change.
Tell us about your community service and extracurricular activities.
One of the most fulfilling has been founding and developing the first affinity group for law students with disability: the Disabled Law Student Collective. The Collective grew from my desire to build community with and for other law students with disabilities after spending much of my 1L year feeling alone and isolated. After identifying the need for an affinity space for us, I sought out others who shared a similar vision and wanted to be part of creating it. We have now successfully founded the organization, hosted our first events, and advocated for disability inclusion to the administration.
Outside of law school, I have also had the honor of serving as a curriculum consultant and subject-matter presenter in the areas of neurodiversity and inclusion for the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana. After a request to the ChildLaw Center during my first year, I had the opportunity to present to a young troop about ways to support and include neurodivergent scouts. Over the last two-and-a-half years, I have led volunteer trainings, recorded professional development resources, and facilitated skill-building activities with organizational staff around equity literacy, leadership development, and disability inclusion. Giving back to the Scouts is a full-circle opportunity because the organization played a crucial role in my own childhood.
What kind of research do you conduct?
Since the summer after my first year, I have supported faculty scholarship as a research assistant for Professor Carmen Gonzalez. I have incorporated expertise from my doctoral work in critical social theories with her legal work in discriminatory environmental policy and impacts. Our research highlights the complex interplay between environmental degradation and disability creation. Practical applications include identifying and challenging disparate impacts of environmental regulation. Most recently, I have supported Professor Gonzalez’s upcoming textbook publication on teaching Environmental Law survey courses.
Tell us about the scholarship support you’ve received from Loyola.
I am grateful to be a ChildLaw Fellow as well as a recipient of the Dean Appel Endowed Scholarship. The support of these programs relieves the financial pressures of shifting from a dual-income household to a single-income family. Additionally, as a person with disabilities, scholarship support creates a safety net for seeking and receiving disability-related care without concerns about the ability to pay.
What has been the best part of your Loyola experience?
The people. I am fortunate to have been surrounded by faculty and staff who relentlessly support my ideas and believe in my goals. From informal interactions like kind words in the hallways of Corboy or formal investments like providing letters of recommendation, I am truly humbled by and grateful for the professionals who saw and encouraged me throughout my time in law school. (March 2026)