Think back to your experience in high school and college. Who was your toughest teacher? How far would you go to impress them? Sometimes, strict teachers can make students’ lives miserable, but they can also be the best mentors if you go the extra mile. For ADLG founder Sara Khaki, University of Georgia law school professor Anne Dupre was that tough cookie.
“I would write something, and she would bleed all over it in red ink and give it a grade less than an A,” Sara says, remembering Professor Dupre’s education law and child custody classes. “But I would keep coming back and trying to perfect it. I was very engaged in her classes. I always participated, and I was always on time.”
Eventually, Sara’s efforts won Professor Dupre over, and the storied lawyer, author, and former Supreme Court clerk brought Sara into her “inner circle” of high-achieving students.
“I got to go to her house, have pizza with her, and have incredibly geeky law conversions. She made me excited about all of the things she was into. We talked about hot-button child custody and First Amendment rights issues,” Sara says.
Sara took every class Professor Dupre had to offer, including courses in education law, constitutional law, and child custody. The first A she received from her was the high of her law school experience.
“Professor Dupre was known as one of the serious professors in law school, but once you got to know her and gained her trust, she was the biggest giver of all,” Sara recalls. “She was relentless about pushing me beyond what I thought I could be.”
Thanks to Professor Dupre, Sara found the confidence to balance owning two law firms with having a family — a decision unheard of in Professor Dupre’s generation and still rare today. Professor Dupre passed away 10 years ago, but she still inspires Sara today.
“I have her picture framed in my office as a reminder of who she was,” Sara says.
This Teacher’s Appreciation Week, our firm is honoring Anne Dupre and her legacy. To learn more about her work, check out her book “Speaking Up: The Unintended Costs of Free Speech in Public Schools” on Amazon!
