Student Accomplishments

Studying law to influence public policy

This former inside linebacker for Mizzou came back to pursue dual doctorates in law and economics. Darryl Chatman says post-9/11 public policy issues drew him into law, which he calls the best academic experience he's ever had, “but it's tough, really tough.” Chatman relies on scholarships to pay for school.

First year law student Darryl Chatman was in North Carolina studying for a master's degree in public administration on Sept. 11, 2001. “After 9/11 happened, it was an interesting time to learn about the current state of world affairs. Suddenly studying wasn't a chore anymore.”

A full-ride athletic scholarship brought Chatman to Mizzou from his home in Jennings, Mo., in 1992. “I didn't have enough financial resources to pay for college,” Chatman says. He was an inside linebacker and a three-year starter for the Tigers, graduating with a degree in animal science. He also received a stipend as a George W. Carver Fellow during his years at the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Chatman has finished his coursework in regional economics and hopes, when his law degree is in hand, that he can find a career that explores the intersection of law and economics as it affects public policy. He worked as an intern at the Kansas City Federal Reserve this summer.

The law library is the best place to find Chatman now. “Law school is the best experience I've ever had academically,” he says, “but it's tough, really tough.”