On Thursday, April 4th, more than 80 students attended a talk by a distinguished alumnus of Texas State: United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Nelva Gonzalez Ramos. Born in Port Lavaca, Texas, Judge Ramos attended Texas State as an undergraduate and went on to graduate from the university’s Legal Studies Program before attending law school at the University of Texas at Austin. Titled “From TXST to the Federal Judiciary,” Judge Ramos spoke about her undergraduate experiences at Texas State and her later experiences at law school, her work as an attorney and as a judge at the state and local level, and experiences as federal district court judge.
The floor was then opened up for students to ask questions. Judge Ramos answered several questions ranging from personal experiences, the election process, interesting cases, her adjustment from state to federal court, methods to judge cases, the process of writing an opinion, and the Texas State classes that helped prepare for her career.
The event was followed by a dinner attended by fifteen students and faculty. This dinner provided an opportunity for students to talk with Judge Ramos individually and ask her further questions.
Zoie Sanders, an undergraduate political science major who attended the event, said that Judge Ramos was, “an inspiring, informative example of a successful woman in the federal judicial system. I enjoyed hearing about the election process as well as the stories she shared regarding her work-life balance and her time at Texas State.”
For information about pre-law at Texas State, please contact the university’s pre-law advisor, Dr. Ken Ward, at kw12@txstate.edu.
