To the OWC Board of Directors and OWC membership:
I graduated from law school on Saturday, May 15. While my first day of law school took place in a crowded room in Eugene, my graduation day ceremony took place in notably less crowded space—my parents’ living room in Pendleton with a virtual ceremony streaming on my computer. While I didn’t expect to arrive at the end of law school under these circumstances, I do recognize that I arrived at this place thanks to the support of many, including the Oregon Water Coalition. The goal of this letter is to communicate my sincere thanks, highlight some of my achievements over the past three years, and encourage OWC to continue the scholarship program that has had a hugely beneficial impact for me.
During law school, I took my dedication to water law and to eastern Oregon seriously. Here a few examples of the ways I was able to incorporate these focuses into the standard required legal curriculum:
I was a two-year fellow on the Oceans, Coasts and Watersheds Project. As part of this project, I worked on a variety of water law-related research projects. I also organized panels for the annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference to incorporate more diverse perspectives, including the agriculture perspective, in the conference discussions.
I worked as a legal fellow in former Representative Greg Walden’s office. My main project for Rep. Walden’s office was to prepare a report of the tribal settlement negotiations in the Umatilla Basin.
I wrote my graduation paper on the Division 33 rules. The paper focused on impacts of the rules and the frustrations for prospective water users.
I was a Public Law and Policy Fellow during my final year of law school. As part of this fellowship, I wrote a policy paper that focused on the importance of a statutory fix to enable transfers of stored water in Oregon.
I co-authored an article, published in The Water Report, that addressed the potential impacts of the Baley case to the prior appropriation doctrine.
With my graduation diploma in hand, I have begun to tackle my next challenge: studying for the bar exam. The bar will be held on July 27 and 28, and I will spend the coming months studying for it full time. Once I take the bar, I will be moving to Bend to start work as an attorney.
In some of my past letters to the OWC Board, I have tried to emphasize the important role OWC’s support has played in my academic career. I want to echo that sentiment again here. As I transition out of OWC’s scholarship program, I hope the Board and membership will find another student to support. I plan to remain active on the Eastern Oregon Women’s Coalition board of directors, and I remain committed to maintaining the connections I made through my work with the Oregon Water Coalition.
These two words really can’t be big enough to signify how grateful I am for OWC’s support, but they’re the best I’ve got: thank you. I invite and encourage the board and the membership to reach out to me with any questions.
-Marika Sitz