From Economics to Law: How UNI brought two alumni together
From Economics to Law: How UNI brought two alumni together
It was love at first “paper” for Emily Scholtes (‘13) and Andy Dykstra (‘13). In 2011, they sat on opposite ends of a History of Economic Thought class at the Wilson College of Business. As part of an essay assignment, Scholtes and Dykstra partnered to review and provide feedback on each other’s work.
From there, they began meeting more often through the Economics Club — where they eventually became co-presidents — as well as in classes and on-campus activities. They started dating and later married. More than a decade after that initial meeting, they now live in the Twin Cities, have two children, and are both lawyers.
Looking back, they credit UNI for helping build their strong connection and laying the foundation for their careers.
“We had mutual friends who quipped that we were the same person because we were both economics majors wanting to be lawyers,” Scholtes said with a laugh.
But their paths to UNI were quite different. Scholtes grew up in a small town in Northeast Iowa and during high school, she set her sights on studying economics at UNI with aspirations of attending law school. Dykstra initially attended a small school and played basketball before transferring to UNI. He took general business courses before falling in love with economics and seeing a pathway to law school himself.
At the Wilson College of Business, they gained crucial critical thinking and analytical skills that served them well in law school and their careers. They appreciated the practical, hands-on approach of the economics courses. One course, Law and Economics, introduced Scholtes and Dykstra to legal concepts and rulings affecting real-world economics.
The ability to think through complicated problems and come to a conclusion is what we do every day as lawyers. Economics parallels closely with law. You ask very large questions, and students think through tough answers in an analytical and systematic way.
Professors at UNI played a significant role in Scholtes’ and Dykstra’s education. Dykstra credits faculty with guiding him toward a law school path, then helping with applications and personal statements.
Professors at UNI are really engaged with students. Every time I think back on my time at UNI, I have a ton of appreciation for how involved the professors were. If you go to UNI, you’ll get personal attention, and it’ll make you a better student. For me, that made me a better law school applicant.
After UNI, Dykstra and Scholtes attended the University of Minnesota Law School. Scholtes is now an assistant attorney general with the State of Minnesota, while Dykstra is a senior managing associate at a Chicago-based firm, focusing on technology and life sciences transactions.
And UNI remains a central part of both of their stories.
“There are just so many positive things about UNI that it’s hard to distill,” Scholtes said. “UNI has high-quality academics with professors who are invested in your education, career, and personal happiness and growth. That’s the culture of the business school and economics department.”
