Part of the 2024-25 Student Spotlight Series, featuring Faith King of Clearwater, Neb.
Faith King already knows what she wants to do after her education is complete – head back to her hometown of Clearwater, Neb., and give back to the community that has done so much for her. The Wayne State junior, who is majoring in Criminal Justice with a Pre-Law minor, is the subject of this week’s Student Spotlight Series.
“I dream of going back to Clearwater and practicing as a rural lawyer,” said King, who is a member of Wayne State’s Rural Law Opportunities Program (RLOP). “My biggest goal in life is to give back to the community that has helped me all these years.”
Mom and dad were influential in King’s decision to attend Wayne State. Very few people can say they attended the same college at the same time as their parents, but King can. She said her mom and dad both found another family when they enrolled at Wayne State.
“Last spring, my dad, mom, and I were all Wayne State Wildcats pursuing our love of education with the best second family that we’ve ever known,” said King. “I chose Wayne State because they truly are family. My father returned to school a few years ago, while raising a family and working full-time. He wanted to be educated and support his family for as long as he possibly could. His studies were stressful, and he couldn’t have done it without the support of his Wayne State instructors. They constantly checked in on him and offered help if he was struggling with his school to life balance. They quickly became a second family to us, as they cared deeply about him as well as all of us kids. He loved Wayne so much that he went back and got his MBA; and now, he even teaches an online course for Wayne State.”
“My mom recently went back to college as well, and she is getting her bachelor’s degree at Wayne State,” continued King. “She loves Wayne State as well. I saw the family atmosphere that Wayne State had, and I knew I wouldn’t get it anywhere else. I fell in love with Wayne State all those years ago, and I fell in love with it all over again when I first stepped onto campus. I knew that there truly was no place like Wayne, and I had a built-in family here.”
King said she knew every person she graduated with from high school and even their grandparents. She figured going to college meant she would meet new people every day, but she feared losing the feeling of a small-town community. Her fears were put to rest immediately.
“I continue to be surprised by Wayne State’s close-knit community,” said King. “The instructors know you as a student, but they also know you as a person. They care enough to get to know all their students. I find myself seeing familiar faces on campus all the time.”
In addition to RLOP, King is active in the Honors Club and Honors Program, Scrat Pack, SkillsUSA, the It’s On Us organization, Pi Gamma Mu (social sciences honor society), Phi Kappa Phi, and Alpha Phi Sigma (criminal justice honor society). She also serves as vice president of Wayne State’s Legal Minds organization.
King will graduate in May 2026, and she intends to pursue law school at either the University of Nebraska-Lincoln or the University of South Dakota.