Caysey Farmer of Hagerstown, Indiana, began her first year at Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington this fall. Her first day of classes was August 17.

Farmer, a 2020 Indiana University East graduate, was awarded an IU Maurer School of Law merit-based scholarship. The scholarship will provide funding for Farmer throughout her three years of study at Maurer.

Caysey Farmer of Hagerstown, Indiana, will begins her first day at IU Maurer Law School on Monday, August 17. The IU East alumna graduated in May 2020.

Pursuing a law degree has been a long-term goal for Farmer. In May, the IU East alumna was one-step closer to her dream when she completed a double major and earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Bachelor of Science in Political Science with minors in Spanish and International Studies.

After graduation, she took time to consider her options and decided Maurer was the place for her.

“Maurer became my first choice after some extensive research,” Farmer said. “I considered all of my top contending schools and narrowed them down based on a variety of factors, and Maurer was always the one I circled back to. I enjoy the warm way the faculty and staff approach and communicate with students as well as what the school has to offer, most notably the international program. The fact that I received a scholarship to attend Maurer also played a role, as did the school’s relatively close proximity to my family.”

Maurer is a two-and-a-half hour drive from Hagerstown.

“I became interested in law when I was in high school. Logical reasoning and constructing arguments were always something I was good at in addition to reading and writing,” Farmer said. “Law became my primary focus particularly after researching potential careers that I might be good at based on my interests and skill sets.”

Farmer developed an interest for law in high school. In middle school, she had briefly considered becoming a veterinarian because of her love of animals. However, a career in law is her future.

In spring 2019, Farmer completed an internship with Judge Brian Hill in Rush County Superior Court. During her internship, she worked a full day once per week. Judge Hill was a mentor to Farmer throughout her internship, and scheduled time to discuss law cases from across the state of Indiana or the Supreme Court, the legal implications of the courts’ decisions, and he would provide her with law books to read and discuss during their meetings. Read more about Farmer’s internship at https://www.iue.edu/stories/internships/caysey.html.

“My internship with Judge Hill, which spanned an entire calendar year, was an extremely rewarding as well as educational experience,” Farmer said.

Beyond discussing law and court cases, Judge Hill also prepared Farmer for the application process and for law school.

Caysey Farmer received a scholarship to IU Maurer School of Law in Bloomington, and begins classes on August 17. Farmer completed a year-long internship with Rush County Superior Court Judge Brian Hill as an undergraduate at IU East.

“Judge Hill taught me about not only the law, but what to expect in applying for and attending law school, practicing law, and being in the courtroom,” Farmer said.

Farmer attended court to observe Judge Hill and to learn by watching as attorneys interacted to deliberate a case and with their clients. She said the observations helped her put theory into practice.

“I had learned about these things and actions in textbooks and in class, but actually being able to see it play out was important for me to experience before attending law school,” Farmer said. “Judge Hill was always very receptive to any questions I had and explained all court procedures that took place. I learned an abundance of new information during my time at Rush County Superior Court, and it was an unparalleled experience for me as an aspiring law student.”

During her time at IU East Farmer was active on campus. She was president of the Honors Club, and a member of Circle K, Student Government Association, and the Sustainability Council.

Farmer was the 2020 Outstanding Student in Criminal Justice for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Outstanding Student Awards are given to individuals in their degree programs who displayed outstanding academic achievement at IU East. This year’s awards were presented virtually during the Honors Convocation on April 30.

“As an undergraduate, I initially chose IU East because of the program opportunities that I would have in the fields of criminal justice and political science,” Farmer said. “I was also interested in pursuing a minor in Spanish, and I was fortunate to also graduate with a minor in International Studies as well. IU East was my first choice because of the small class sizes and student to faculty ratio and its notable academic programs.”

Farmer continued being a part of campus even after completing her degrees. She continued working online as a writing consultant with the Writing Center, and during the second summer session, she was a Supplemental Instruction (SI) for a section of Introduction to American Politics.

“Many of the courses that I took during my undergraduate years were relevant to my future career path,” Farmer said. “I also had the opportunity to work with professors that challenged me and provided me with an extremely valuable learning experience throughout my three years at IU East.”

Two of those faculty members are Carrie Mier, assistant professor of criminal justice, and Kristoffer Rees, assistant professor of political science. Farmer said both faculty provided assistance and support, especially as her path to law school became more certain.

“I am grateful to them for all the effort they put into their courses and the devotion they give to students as well as IU East,” she said.

Off-campus this summer Farmer also kept busy with a job. All while preparing to move to Bloomington to begin her first year of law school at Maurer.

When she begins her classes on Monday, the majority will be held in the classroom on the Bloomington campus. She has one online course.

Maurer offers 17 areas of focus. Farmer is interested in pursuing international law but is open to other areas and seeing what might be the best fit. A study abroad trip to Spain in summer 2019 piqued her interest in international law.

“I very much enjoyed traveling abroad, and after looking into the subfield of international law and what Maurer has to offer, I decided that it would be a good career path for me to consider. I am also interested in globalization, comparative law, and environmental law,” Farmer said. “I am elated to begin this next crucial step in my educational career, and Maurer has already proven to be a proactive, engaging school thus far.”