Hadiah Mabry, a rising third-year student at Notre Dame Law School, has been selected to receive the Peter A.R. Lardy Scholarship Award for the 2024-25 academic year.
The Lardy Scholarship Award was established by the Notre Dame Law Class of 1975 to honor their beloved classmate Peter A.R. Lardy, who died of cancer during his third year of law school. The award is presented annually to a rising third-year Notre Dame Law student “who exemplifies his courage, love, and understanding toward his fellow man,” and includes substantial tuition assistance for the recipient’s third year of law school.
“Receiving the Lardy Scholarship Award is an incredible honor,” said Mabry. “This award is a confirmation of God’s goodness and faithfulness in my life.”
Only one recipient is selected each year from several nominations submitted by members of the Law School community. Mabry was singled out in nomination comments for her unwavering kindness, deep commitment to her Catholic faith, and ability to maintain grace under immense personal difficulty after her husband Zane was diagnosed with cancer this year.
“Hadiah is a model of cheerfulness, strength, and steadfast faith in the midst of extremely difficult personal circumstances,” said Jacqueline Carney, an assistant teaching professor in the Legal Writing Program. “Hadiah's Catholic faith is a pillar for her as she navigates Zane's illness, and she inspires me personally to turn to God for all things. The Law School is blessed to have a student like Hadiah — smart, hardworking, and accomplished, but also faithful, selfless, loving, and full of Christian hope. She is the perfect candidate for the Lardy Scholarship Award.”
Many statements of support cited the constant joy that Mabry radiates as well as the generosity, encouragement, and insight she offers to the Law School community, especially to first-year law students.
One student said, “Hadiah is generous with her time and never fails to share a smile or words of encouragement to those she encounters, especially 1Ls. She is unwaveringly kind and treats everyone as important and worthy of time and attention.”
Another student shared, “Hadiah, while facing significant family challenges this year, has remained cheerful, helpful, and kind to all, particularly 1Ls, that she interacts with. She has been a constant source of wisdom and insight for me as well as my wife, and many others.”
Originally from Somerset, Kentucky, Mabry attended Hillsdale College prior to attending Notre Dame Law School. She graduated summa cum laude from Hillsdale in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in history. She then was a fellow at the John Jay Institute and later returned to Hillsdale College to work in student affairs.
She decided to attend law school due to her desire to pursue a career rooted in service. She first heard about Notre Dame Law School through a mentor in 2020, who told her of the formation of Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Clinic. In addition to being drawn to the clinic, Mabry liked that Notre Dame Law School has a strong record of graduates securing highly coveted judicial clerkships. She also knew of many faculty members, was fascinated by their scholarship at Notre Dame, and developed an eagerness to learn from them.
Reflecting on the most meaningful experiences for her at the Law School so far, Mabry said, “I’ve loved my classes. They have been so impactful to me.” Her favorite class was constitutional law, taught by Professor A.J. Bellia. The Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic has also been an enriching academic experience for Mabry. As a student fellow, she has assisted with the clinic’s work in defending St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School — the nation's first religious charter school — and its mission to provide an authentically Catholic education for underserved children, especially those in Oklahoma's many rural areas. Mabry will continue her work in the Domestic Litigation section of the Religious Liberty Clinic this coming academic year.
In addition, Mabry will serve as the president of the Education Law Forum, executive managing editor for the Notre Dame Law Review, and as a member of the Saint Thomas More Society and the Women’s Legal Forum. She was previously the logistics director for the Law School’s Federalist Society chapter. Mabry was also a 2022-23 Murphy Fellow, through which she participated in the programming of both the Notre Dame Law School Program on Church, State & Society and the Religious Liberty Initiative.
Her dynamic spirit of strength, dedication, humility, warmth, and sincerity has touched several students. “I don't know Hadiah well,” said one student, “but what she has gone through while remaining an engaged leader in our law school is remarkable and a testimony to her courage and strength of character.”
“I'm constantly in awe of Hadiah's ability to maintain such an intensity and intellectual rigor in her legal studies, while staying so humble,” said another student. “Despite the very challenging situation Hadiah has encountered this semester with the sickness of her husband, she continues to offer up support to other classmates, asking us how we are doing and how she can be praying for us. She exemplifies all of the qualities of a great friend and student.”
Mabry expressed how grateful she is to Notre Dame, commenting on how accommodating the Law School has been during this difficult time. “I had professors reaching out to me when my husband was diagnosed. Student services reached out to me. Students in the Saint Thomas More Society organized a meal train for two months. I am so grateful for the sheer generosity of everyone at Notre Dame,” she shared.
This summer, Mabry is working for Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She spent the summer after her first year of law school working as a research assistant for Professor Nicole Stelle Garnett, researching state constitutional law and school choice, and the intersection of those areas.
Following graduation, Mabry will clerk for the Honorable Joan Larsen on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Mabry’s formative experience at Notre Dame, so far, has shaped her understanding of what it means to be a “different kind of lawyer.” For Mabry, being a “different kind of lawyer” is strongly interconnected to her deep-seated faith in God. “Being a ‘different kind of lawyer’ means seeing your client as someone with innate human dignity,” she said. “It means seeing yourself and your client as equal before God.”
“I am so incredibly grateful to be at Notre Dame. There is no place else in the world where I’d rather be,” said Mabry.
You can view a full list of past Lardy Scholarship Award recipients here.
Originally published by at law.nd.edu on June 06, 2024.