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Since she was a little girl growing up in Mississippi, Shashan Deyoung has wanted to be a lawyer. “I really can’t remember wanting to be anything else,” she said.

When she graduates from IU McKinney Law in May, that dream will be a reality, thanks to her hard work, sacrifice, and scholarships.

At IU McKinney, Deyoung frequently has had her children, Jasmin and Tarrin, in tow for classes and activities. Although she has worked fulltime for most of her time in law school, she has fully embraced law school life, working with the Black Law Students Association—serving as secretary for the 2018-19 academic year—and as 4L class representative of the Student Bar Association, as well as other student groups.

A Certified Legal Intern for the Center for Victim and Human Rights for the fall 2018 semester, Deyoung hopes to continue to work with people who need legal assistance, perhaps as a public defender, or in family law and alternative dispute resolution. “My heart is geared toward helping those who can’t help themselves,” she said.

With such a busy schedule, it is no wonder that being awarded the Larry W. Suciu Windfall Award, was a stand-out moment for Deyoung.

These awards are funded by Larry W. Suciu, '69, and awarded to students who are working either part-time or full-time and "giving their all" to complete law school. The windfall is intended to be spent on something fun and frivolous. His only stipulation is that recipients do not spend it on something practical like rent or groceries.

Mr. Suciu worked full-time while attending law school and understands the difficulty of balancing life with law school and employment. As a law student, he won a writing award for a writing contest he did not know he had been entered into. He used the award funds for a dinner out which was a rare break for him. After graduating from law school, Mr. Suciu remembers how much that night out meant to him, and in that spirit, he funds these awards annually so that other students can experience the same type of windfall that he experienced. Mr. Suciu is currently an attorney in Arizona.

With her windfall, Deyoung and her kids went to the movies. “That was pretty cool,” she said.

 “My attitude starting law school was, ‘failure is not an option.’ That’s not to say I didn’t feel stressed or overwhelmed at times, but I just could not let myself fail,” she said. “I’m very grateful for scholarships.”