Sophia Padgett, BA 2018

Vision to Create Safe Society Leads to Career in Law

With a compassionate heart and dedication to serve, Sophia Padgett of Tyler knew she wanted to become a lawyer to make a difference in society. She credits The University of Texas at Tyler in helping her on that educational journey.

“UT Tyler ended up being the perfect school for me. I really enjoyed the small class sizes and having an opportunity to build personal and professional relationships with the professors,” the 2018 alumna said.

Now a second-year law student at the UT School of Law in Austin, Padgett remembers her first pre-law class at UT Tyler with Professor Eric Lopez, the pre-law adviser.

“I took several classes with Professor Lopez, and I developed a very good relationship with him as my adviser. His classes solidified what I wanted to do,” she said. “His constitutional law class was the first pre-law class I ever took, and I really enjoyed the readings and discussions we would have. His classes helped further develop my writing skills.”

As a psychology major with a pre-law minor, Padgett said having a flexible degree plan also prepared her for law school.

“Being able to take such a variety of courses and having a flexible degree plan really helped because it showed a well-rounded resume and that I was a very dedicated student,” said Padgett. “As a psychology major, I was able to take some research classes and be involved in research. Learning how people work and how people communicate is very essential to law, and so I’m glad to have that background.”

She said she is also thankful for the personal relationships she built while a UT Tyler student.

“I made some really good connections through my campus jobs and student organizations and learned from my leadership experiences. I put those experiences on my resume because showing leadership skills is very helpful. I really enjoyed my time there; it was a great school for me.”

Upon graduating from law school in 2021, Padgett plans to become a governmental prosecutor in Texas or in her native Washington state.

“I’ve always enjoyed research and writing, and I knew those skills that I developed while at UT Tyler would be really useful in the study and practice of law and would help me become the best advocate for others that I can be.”