Five outstanding graduates named Student Award of Merit recipients

Mitchell Hamline School of Law’s Student Award of Merit recognizes graduating students whose academic achievement, leadership, service, and engagement in organizations, initiatives, and campus life have exceeded traditional expectations of the student experience. This year, the Mitchell Hamline Alumni Association Board selected five recipients for the Student Award of Merit: Taylor Anderson, Rylee Franko, Auria T.S. Gauger, Jack Hurbanis, and Wendy Jeter. They will be honored at Mitchell Hamline’s commencement ceremony on May 30 at the Legendary Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

“Our award recipients this year represent an exceptional group of future legal professionals and reflect the remarkable talent, leadership, and diversity that define Mitchell Hamline’s student community,” said Barbara Klas ’91, director of alumni relations and annual philanthropy. “We congratulate each recipient on this well-earned honor and on reaching the significant milestone of graduating from law school.”

Taylor Anderson

For Taylor Anderson, legal education became a natural extension of a lifelong commitment to justice, service, and community. Raised in the Twin Cities by parents deeply committed to public service, Anderson built an early career advancing causes centered on reproductive justice, educational equity, and holistic social services. Before arriving at Mitchell Hamline, Anderson spent seven years in Minnesota’s nonprofit sector while cultivating a reputation as both a thoughtful communicator and community advocate.

That same sense of purpose quickly distinguished Anderson at Mitchell Hamline. While balancing the demands of the part-time evening program with full-time work as director of development and communications at Athletes Committed to Educating Students (ACES), Anderson rose from associate editor to editor-in-chief of the Mitchell Hamline Law Review. A published case note examining Minnesota’s anti-SLAPP statute reflected Anderson’s deeply human approach to legal scholarship, centering the lived experience of a sexual assault survivor alongside rigorous legal analysis. Beyond academics, Anderson devoted time to direct client service through the Pro Se Clinic, Gender Justice, and a judicial externship with the U.S. District Court, while continuing volunteer work throughout the community.

“Law school has not changed what I value; it has given me new and more powerful ways to pursue it.”

Rylee Franko

Long before enrolling at Mitchell Hamline, Rylee Franko understood the power of advocacy. A nontraditional student with nearly a decade of experience in the legal profession, Franko began a career serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking—work that revealed both the urgency and humanity at the heart of the legal system. Those experiences ultimately inspired a decision to pursue law school and deepen a lifelong commitment to helping people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

At Mitchell Hamline, Franko paired academic excellence with extraordinary resilience. While maintaining high academic standing and earning four Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction (CALI) Awards, Franko navigated significant personal and family health challenges, including chronic spinal degeneration and caregiving responsibilities for multiple loved ones facing critical illness. Throughout it all, Franko remained deeply engaged in community service, contributing hundreds of hours of pro bono work and volunteering with organizations including Immigration Defense Network and Immigration Law Center Minnesota during a period of heightened need.

“The law presented a unique forum to help the people who needed it most, at the times in their life when they likely needed it the most.”

Auria T.S. Gauger

Advocacy is deeply personal for Auria T.S. Gauger. Raised by two teenage parents as a first-generation college and law student, Gauger’s understanding of the legal system was shaped not only by perseverance, but also by lived experience navigating both criminal and civil courts alongside her family. Those experiences instilled a determination to become the kind of advocate who brings clarity, strength, and compassion to people facing overwhelming circumstances.

At Mitchell Hamline, Gauger consistently sought opportunities to sharpen her advocacy skills while serving others. As a certified student attorney with the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, she handled matters requiring both sound judgment and empathy, particularly while working on the mental competency calendar. She later served as Mitchell Hamline’s sole judicial extern at the Minnesota Court of Appeals and competed in the school’s inaugural appearance at the National Veterans Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C., where the team finished among the top six law schools in the nation. Throughout her experience, Gauger has remained committed to ensuring that people feel heard, respected, and powerfully represented.

“If there is one theme that defines my law school journey, it is advocacy rooted in lived experience.”

Jack Hurbanis

Before law school, Jack Hurbanis built a life around storytelling—through film production, public radio, and environmental justice organizing. That passion ultimately led him to Mitchell Hamline, where he discovered another powerful form of storytelling: legal advocacy rooted in listening, empathy, and service.

Throughout law school, Hurbanis dedicated hundreds of hours to the Self-Help Clinic, Legal Assistance to Minnesota Prisoners (LAMP) Clinic, and the Minnesota Board of Public Defense while maintaining a full academic course load. Those experiences brought him face-to-face with clients navigating incarceration, housing instability, and profound personal hardship, shaping both his legal skills and his understanding of human resilience. Hurbanis also became an active member of the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA), competed at the National NALSA Moot Court Competition, and completed the Native American Law and Sovereignty Certificate through an externship with the Upper Sioux Community Tribal Court. His work reflects a commitment not only to advocacy, but to honoring the stories and dignity of every client he serves.

“Mitchell Hamline has given me opportunities to learn strength and determination from the clients I’ve had the honor to represent while hopefully giving back to them through my advocacy.”

Wendy Jeter

Service has remained at the center of Wendy Jeter’s leadership journey at Mitchell Hamline. As president of the Student Bar Association, Jeter focused on practical initiatives that strengthened student connection and support, including helping provide free lunches for fellow students. Her leadership extended nationally through multiple roles with the Federal Bar Association, and she successfully launched Mitchell Hamline’s first student chapter in less than a month, creating new pathways for student engagement and professional development.

Beyond campus, Jeter’s commitment to community impact has been equally significant. In 2017, she founded a toy drive that has since collected more than 5,000 toys for children in underserved communities across Illinois and Minnesota. She also launched a book drive in response to growing book bans, helping expand access to literature for Minnesota students. Throughout law school, Jeter balanced all of this as a mother of two children and supporting her family while working full-time as a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. She has served for more than two decades as a union steward recognized for her advocacy on behalf of workers’ rights.

“My commitment to service extends beyond the law school.”