Students remember Skye Donald as a lecturer who introduced them to the legal world with joy and empathy, even as she was battling cancer.
“We’re going to miss that can-do energy and positive appreciation of life,” said Eileen Scallen, Donald’s supervisor and associate dean for curriculum and academic affairs at UCLA School of Law.
Donald, a UCLA law lecturer and lawyer who worked with pro bono cases, died of cancer on Oct. 16. She was 43. UCLA School of Law held a memorial Sunday evening for the law school community and others close to Donald, said dean of UCLA School of Law Jennifer Mnookin in a statement.
“She coupled high expectations and extraordinary empathy (in her teaching),” said Mnookin.
Before completing her law degree at New York University, Donald worked for Human Rights Watch, a nongovernmental organization that researches and advocates for human rights. She became inspired to pursue law after she saw that lawyers have the power to influence change in policies, Scallen said.
After law school, Donald worked for Morrison & Foerster LLP and continued her pro bono practice. Through her pro bono work, Donald represented several people such as a Saudi detainee at Guantanamo Bay, a Mexican transgender woman, foster youth and a former gang member, said Mnookin.
Donald joined UCLA School of Law in 2009 where she taught a lawyering skills class and assisted students in upper division clinical courses.
Michael Smith, one of Donald’s former students, said he thinks Donald’s warmth was a pleasant contrast to the intense and dry legal material she taught.
“She was dealing with 60 frustrated Type A law students (in one class) and she maintained her cheerfulness,” Smith said.
Every time Smith went into Donald’s office frustrated with his studies, she talked him through it and he always came out with a game plan, he said.
When Smith was in Donald’s class, students would often call Thomson Reuters Westlaw, a legal research service for students. Donald would refer to the service’s phone operators as elves, lightening up the class mood, Smith said.
Scallen said she thinks Donald connected with young lawyers and often stayed up late writing feedback on her students’ work.
Donald was popular even among students who did not take her class, said Julie Cramer, Donald’s colleague and a UCLA law professor. Sometimes Donald would meet students walking down the hallways and stop and greet them with a smile, she said.
Donald’s kindness extended to faculty members. Deirdre Lanning, Donald’s former colleague and a UCLA law professor, said Donald warmly welcomed her when Lanning first joined the faculty.
“Skye was always reaching out to get my input and offer advice and support,” Lanning said. “She was terrific at offering different ways to explain things.”
Donald was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2010 but kept teaching even while going through chemotherapy treatments, Mnookin said.
Donald’s condition worsened in the spring. But she spent the summer in Germany with her husband and 6-year-old son like she did every year, Scallen said.
“They were her whole world … (she) spent a lot of time talking about parenting and all the challenges and fun that go with that,” Lanning said.
Donald treasured her time with her family and would often bring her son to the law school, said Smith.
“Skye was going as long as a walk as she could with her son and her husband and she was so happy,” Scallen said.
To honor her memory, UCLA School of Law is asking those who wish to share memories of Donald to write a “letter of recommendation” for her in the form of a card or letter, Mnookin said.
She added the letters symbolize the many letters of recommendations Donald wrote for her students. Students can send the letters to the UCLA School of Law’s dean office, where they will be collected and sent to Donald’s son.