April Ward Farris graduates Harvard Law School

April Ward Farris, a 2002 graduate of Big Spring High School, graduated with honors from Harvard Law School on June 4. She is the daughter of Dr. David and Ann Ward and the granddaughter of Sonny and Ruth Hollis of Big Spring.

April completed her undergraduate education at Abilene Christian University in spring of 2005 and began her law studies at Harvard in fall of 2006. Harvard Law School is currently ranked No. 1 in the top 100 law schools in the nation.

While at Harvard Law, April was able to distinguish herself in several ways. She was the managing editor for the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, the most read conservative legal journal in the nation. She was president of The Harvard Abigail Adams Society, and a member of the Harvard Federalist Society,  nationwide legal societies for conservatives and libertarians. She was awarded a Blackstone Fellowship by the Alliance Defense Fund to be oriented to the role of Christians in the arenas of law and government. She did an summer internship at the Office Legal Policy in the U.S. Justice Dept in Washington DC during the Bush administration.

April has accepted a prestigious judicial clerkship with the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in Houston for one year.
Following the year in Houston, she has accepted a position as the first female lawyer in a small, but prestigious law office in Austin, called Yetter, Warden and Coleman,  that specializes in non-criminal appellate law.
This law firm had a case accepted for hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court this year. Some of the writing that April did in helping with the case when interning for them last summer was included in their presentation to the court. Yetter, Warden and Coleman flew April from Boston to Washington, D.C., so she could observe when the actual presentation was made to the Supreme Court.

April and her husband, Ben, will be moving to Houston in August after she takes her Texas Bar exam.

Bailey receives biomedical degree from A&M

Brennan Bailey

Brennan Bailey, 2005 graduate of Big Spring High School, graduated cum laude with a degree in biomedical engineering from Texas A&M University in the commencement ceremony held May 15.
While at Texas A&M, Brennan has worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the biomaterials lab with the department of biomedical engineering. Her research has focused on utilizing polymeric coatings for the prevention of biofouling on implantable medical devices.

During her undergraduate tenure, Brennan has presented her research findings at two American Chemical Society national conferences, receiving the “Excellence in Undergraduate Research” award for the research she completed.

She also received the Texas A&M University Undergraduate Student research Grant as well as the NSF Texas A&M University System Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation grand to fund her research.
In 2008, Brennan received the “Distinguished Student in Engineering Award” and also earned a Polymer Certificate. She was inducted into the National Honor Society and the Biomedical Engineering Honor Society.
Brennan has been involved in non-profit organizations such as One Party and Save Our Streets Ministries as is also very involved in her church. Brennan will continue her studies and research at Texas A&M University where she has been accepted into the Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. program.
Brennan is the daughter of Craig and Julie Bailey and the granddaughter of Allen and Margaret Bailey, Bob and Marlene Underwood and the late Marge Underwood.t

Carrasco named to Dean's List at Baylor U

Malle Franchesca Carrasco, a junior from Big Spring majoring in medical humanities at Baylor University, has been included on the dean's list, which required her to have a minimum grade-point average of 3.7 and be enrolled for a minimum of 12 semester hours.

Doty receives Doctorate Degree from South Texas College of Law

Bobby Jay Doty, son of Bob and Darla (Buchanan) Doty of Stephenville, recently graduated with a juris doctorate degree from the South Texas College of Law in Houston. He has accepted a job with the law firm of Sheldon and Reecer in Denton.
He is the grandson of Jack and Mildred Buchanan of Coahoma.