Success Stories

A first-generation student, Payton Moore (LSA ‘22) can’t remember a time when she didn’t love school. “It’s a bit nerdy to say, but I’ve always been very interested in learning and studying, really from the time I started grade school,” she says. “My mom would often say, ‘You have to get good grades if you want to go to the University of Michigan.’ This message was instilled in me very early on. U-M was my dream school. I knew there really wasn’t another option.”

Moore took her mother’s advice to heart throughout her middle and high school years. Upon graduation, she saw her dream come to life when she started undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. “I fell in love with psychology, which I majored in. I also loved learning about the history of law and policy, which became my minor,” says Moore. “My favorite class was forensic psychology. I had been dying to get into this class, and was actually on a waitlist. Finally, I got in during my very last semester. It was taught by Dr. Carol Holden who was such an amazing teacher. The class was just so interesting.”

Making Preparations

A native of Monroe, Michigan, Moore says she has wanted to go to law school for as long as she can remember. To prepare for this eventuality, Moore participated in the U-M Pre-Law Society, an organization that strives to promote a deeper understanding of law to interested undergraduate students. The society holds biweekly meetings that consist of LSAT information sessions, collaborations with Michigan Law, student panels, speaker events, and socials.

Fostering Community

Moore was also part of the Panhellenic Association, the largest all-women’s organization on the U-M campus. The association provides opportunities for lifelong friendships, personal development, academic success, community service, and educational growth to over 3,000 students each year. “I was very involved with the association throughout all four years at U-M. In my junior year, I was on the Panhel Executive Board,” says Moore. “It was a really nice way to foster community.”

Focus on Law School

A graduate of the U-M College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, Moore is now finishing her second year of law school at Loyola University in Chicago. “It’s been amazing. I'm very happy to be here, and I love living in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago,” she says. “I’m still deciding on my particular area of focus before graduation next year. I have a strong interest in criminal law. It’s a very interesting field.”

Prior to starting at Loyola, Moore worked at the Monroe County (MI) Prosecutor's Office. “I was able to get hands-on experience working on trials, which is one of the reasons I am leaning toward criminal law,” she says. “For my externship last summer, I worked at the Illinois Attorney General's Office doing criminal prosecution. Right now, I'm working for a private law firm in Chicago, doing estate law.”

Embracing Support

Moore says none of this would have been possible without the Go Blue Guarantee. “I was very thrilled and happy to receive this support because the financial part of college was something my mom and I always worried about,” she says. “I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to go to U-M. I will carry this experience with me throughout my life. Honestly, receiving the Go Blue Guarantee is what allowed me to get the caliber of undergraduate education that I did, and to be able to go on to law school.”

The U-M Connection

Moore notes that getting a world-class education at U-M goes very deep for her, well beyond the educational level. “The U-M community is such a family. It’s nice to know that I'm part of this community. I find that wherever I go,” she says. “In Chicago, just three houses down from me, there are Michigan flags on two different houses. There are a lot of Michigan alumni here.”

The Big House

Moore says one of her fondest memories of U-M was her first game day. “I remember it so vividly. I had never been to Michigan Stadium before, even though I grew up very close to Ann Arbor,” she says. “I didn't realize how big the stadium was and how much everyone loved Michigan football and U-M. When I walked in, I felt a crazy, overwhelming feeling. I absolutely loved going to the games, especially that one.”

Moore’s father, who passed away when she was six, was a lifelong Michigan fan. “We have pictures of my dad on the day I was born wearing a Michigan hat,” she says. “I'm very proud to be able to go to a school that he absolutely loved. I actually wore one of his Michigan sweatshirts on graduation day. It was all meant to be.”