When Sherri Wattenbarger (B.A. ’91, J.D. ’93) was 6 years old, her father taught her the value of asking for help when you need it. Now, she’s in a position to be the one who answers when someone asks for help. Wattenbarger and husband Brian Beins have created an estate gift of $575,000 to benefit first-generation law students and Athletics.

“We are always excited to celebrate law alumni who choose to invest in the future of their law school, but because Sherri also benefited from her time as a student athlete, we are grateful her unique student experiences led her to expand her legacy at UMKC,” said Marie Dispenza, senior director of development at the UMKC School of Law and executive director of the UMKC Law Foundation.

Since the age of 11, Wattenbarger knew she wanted to go to Harvard University. For a first-generation student from St. Joseph, it was a daunting goal. With high grades and extracurriculars, she achieved her goal and made it to Harvard. But when she got there, she quickly realized it wasn’t the right fit. Wattenbarger was far from home and her support network, and she was struggling to navigate the university system and financial demands. Significant stress and unhappiness made leaving Harvard the right choice for her.

When Wattenbarger returned to St. Joseph, she thought carefully about her next steps. She knew she needed to attend a university that had more support for first-generation students and made financial sense. She wanted to major in political science and attend law school to become a public servant, which wouldn’t be possible with significant student debt. She also wanted to stay closer to her family and support system.

Wattenbarger toured UMKC and was impressed by the small class sizes and supportive professors. That summer, she made the first of three phone calls to UMKC that would set her on the path right for her.

“I called the admissions office at UMKC and told them my story,” Wattenbarger said. “They sent me to the dean of admissions, and when she called me back, she had a full scholarship for four years of tuition for me. It was just amazing. I had no money for college. I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get through school if I had to work full-time and pay for it on my own.”

Wattenbarger lived at home and commuted to UMKC. During her sophomore year, she was reading the school newspaper and came across the collegiate cross-country results. An avid runner, she realized she could compete with those times. Wattenbarger made her second phone call to UMKC.

“I told the cross-country coach I could run faster than his fastest runner,” Wattenbarger recalled. “He said he could get me some scholarship money if I tried out for the team, so I did. I became No. 1 on the team and ran during my last two years of undergraduate school and my first year of law school.”

Wattenbarger took advantage of UMKC School of Law’s 3+3 program to begin law school after just three years of undergraduate coursework, with law school credits counting toward her remaining undergraduate requirements. While that saved her a full year of tuition, it provided an additional challenge – the law school thought she was applying for admission for a year later. Wattenbarger made her third phone call to UMKC.

“I had been admitted to the law school but hadn’t received any word on scholarships,” Wattenbarger said. “It was July and I realized that I couldn’t afford to go to school at all if I didn’t get a scholarship. So I called up the law school and told them what was going on. Once they realized I intended to go to school that fall, they gave me a full-ride scholarship for tuition and books.”

That scholarship allowed Wattenbarger to graduate from law school with minimal debt and begin her career as a public servant. Looking back, Wattenbarger wasn’t sure the debt that came with a Harvard education would have allowed her to pursue work as a public servant.

“Sherri’s story exemplifies UMKC Law’s mission,” said Lumen Mulligan, dean of the UMKC School of Law. “We provide a world-class legal education that is authentically accessible. We continue to pursue this mission today only with the generous support of alumni like Sherri, for which we are deeply appreciative.”

With help from her UMKC connections, she received a job clerking for Judge Pasco Bowman II, 8^th Circuit Court of Appeals and a former dean at the UMKC School of Law. Judge Bowman learned of her desire to work for the U.S. Justice Department and recommended her for their Attorney General’s Honors Program, a recruitment program for entry-level federal attorneys. Wattenbarger was one of more than 2,000 applicants who applied and was one of 13 to be hired.

Wattenbarger worked for the U.S. Justice Department under Janet Reno, the first woman to become Attorney General. The first several years of her career were spent in Washington, D.C., but eventually she decided to move back to Kansas City. She wanted to stay with the Justice Department, so in 1997 she interviewed for a position with the U.S. Trustee Program in Kansas City. Wattenbarger spent the rest of her career there, enforcing bankruptcy laws.

“When I moved back to Kansas City, I knew I was home,” Wattenbarger said. “This is where I wanted to stay and build my life. I decided to get involved in some organizations around town. I taught bankruptcy law at UMKC School of Law as an adjunct professor for three years.”

Despite her college journey taking unanticipated turns, Wattenbarger achieved many of the things in her career she set out to do. She attributes much of that to her resilience, hard work and willingness to ask for help. The help she received from UMKC is a large part of what influenced Wattenbarger and Beins to make their own estate gift.

“I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get through school without scholarships, and I don’t have a record of who gave to any of the scholarships I received from UMKC,” Wattenbarger said. “I wish I could thank them and tell them that I graduated top of my class. I went on to be a public servant. I’ve been very involved in the community and UMKC. They did that for me. There are a lot of kids out there like me who just need a little help, just a tiny boost. And if you give them that boost, there’s no limit on what they can do. Someone gave me that boost, and I want to pay it forward.”