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Eddie Rivers entered the Master of Jurisprudence program at IU McKinney with a goal of gaining some legal knowledge that could benefit him and the not-for-profit he works for, Kids' Voice of Indiana. But he completed the M.J. program with much more than that, he says.

The son of an Army officer, Rivers traveled all over the world as a kid, attending 12 different schools in 12 years. He was competing at Boys State in Florida during high school when he was bitten by the legal bug, but then he had an opportunity to study at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and it was too great of an opportunity to turn down. He received a bachelor of science degree in engineering at The Point, and earned a master of science in systems management at the University of Southern California before moving to Indianapolis.

Rivers is the Chief Development Officer for Kids' Voice of Indiana. His connection with the organization began on a deeply personal level: Kids' Voice helped his family adopt their daughter. There were some legal issues involved in keeping the daughter in the Rivers' family, and Kids' Voice stepped in to help. "Kids' Voice were our angels, helping us through the guardian ad litem program to keep her forever," Rivers said. "When they helped us, I offered to help them in any way they desired, so they asked me to join the board." He was on the board from 1998 to 2004, and led the organization as President and CEO for 14 years before becoming the Chief Development Officer.

As Rivers progressed in his career at Kids' Voice, he says he "realized that I needed legal knowledge, and the M.J. program fit. I chose my curriculum based on what I needed," Rivers said. "It fit so well from a content standpoint, from a timing standpoint. I'm much more confident when I'm talking with lawyers, and when I'm in the court as a guardian ad litem."

While studying for his M.J. degree, Rivers took advantage of the ability to travel with IU McKinney by taking part in the Chinese Law Summer Program, which is under the direction of Professor Tom Wilson. He enjoyed the opportunity for learning in an international setting, and seeing the sights in and around Beijing. While there, he also took part in the International Forum for Law School Students, where Rivers talked about Kids' Voice to an international audience of students from about a dozen other countries. "I shared about my charity in another country," he said. "That was very cool.

Aside from the knowledge he gained and the experiences he was able to take part in while a student at IU McKinney, Rivers counts the interest in Kids' Voice from the law school community as another plus. "I drew more volunteers and interns from my classes and from the law school," Rivers said. "Even the wife of a professor has become a volunteer for Kids' Voice. "I got a degree, but I got connections, interns, volunteers, and I had no idea that would happen when I began. I came for personal knowledge and got so much more."