Thomas College Women Advance into Law MacKenzie Riley Young | April 2, 2021

We spoke with three Thomas College women who began nurturing a passion for law at Thomas and are making strides both professionally and towards improving the world.

Emma Mora ’21 was inspired based on personal experience. “I want to be an advocate for immigrants and refugees in America,” Emma says. “I am an immigrant. The citizenship process was very long, hard, and lonely. I want others to feel they have someone to talk to, someone who understands.”

After graduation, she plans to enroll in law school. She is fluent in Spanish and French and wants to be a translator. Her Thomas experiences helped her both grow into a leader and build community connections; she serves on the President’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice here and is Student Senate VP.

Katie Taylor ’19 is a Daniel Webster Scholar at UNH’s Franklin Pierce School of Law. “I’ve always been interested in advocating for what I believe is right,” says Katie. As a child, she and her brother accompanied their police officer father to community service events, distributing food or spending time with elderly people around the holidays. “Observing the difference he made in the community made me want to do the same.”

To Thomas students considering a law career: “Reach out and ask questions. Thomas College graduates contacted me during my first year about outlining and exam prepping early and provided or pointed to study resources.”

Tawny Alvarez ’05 has been an attorney for more than a decade. She is a partner with Verrill Dana in Portland, ME, specializing in employment and labor litigation. She has received national recognition as a New England Super Lawyer and Rising Star and co-hosts the popular “HR Power Hour” podcast.

Tawny says her time at Thomas helped her see the business side of work. “Law isn’t just about practicing; it’s about business, marketing, technology – and lots of reading! Thomas prepared me.”

*This story was originally published in the Winter 2021 edition of the Thomas magazine. View the full magazine here.