Grad Check

By Jennifer Denny

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Kendall Day

Year: 1999

Hometown: St. Francis

Degree: Italian

Back in the day: After growing up in a small town, Day arrived at KU nervous and excited to branch out and meet new people in a range of organizations. During the school year, he could be seen walking backward on campus as a student ambassador or working in the office of the Center for Community Outreach. Like Jayhawks of all ages, Day loved basketball games and hanging out by the lake. During summers, he stayed busy studying abroad in Florence, Italy, and greeting freshmen as an orientation assistant for two years. When Day graduated, he earned the Agnes Wright Strickland Award, given in recognition of his academic record and leadership skills.

The grad life: After graduation, Day began law school at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. He knew he wanted to end up working in Washington, D.C., and the university offered a great transition into life on the East Coast. He found that his unusual degree from KU helped open “funny doors” for him, like being offered an internship at a branch of an American law firm in Rome after his second year of law school.

Today: After spending a year working as a law clerk for a federal district judge in Baltimore, Day took a job at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Public Integrity Division. Even though he’s been in the position for less than four years, he has prosecuted corruption crimes involving the infamous Jack Abramoff and says he has no plans to leave in the near future.

He says: Study abroad! Studying in Florence helped Day decide on his major because he loved the Italian culture he was immersed in during his six-week stay, so he recommends the program to every undergraduate.

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