At the beginning of her sophomore year, Evie Biggs ’25 knew two things: she was going to pursue medicine or law and she wanted to graduate in three years.
“I wanted a challenging career that was constantly evolving and required a lot of me ethically, socially, and intellectually,” says Biggs, a Molecular Biology major who was leaning towards a career in medicine but couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t totally what she wanted. “However, as I researched possible healthcare careers, no path stood out to me as a good match for my short- and long-term goals, and in the back of my mind, I couldn’t shake free from the idea of a legal career.”
While considering possible paths, Biggs continued working hard in her classes and on the field, where she was a member of CC’s Women’s Soccer Team.
“As I progressed through my major, I started to realize how critical regulation and legislation is in making biotechnology and pharmaceuticals possible and accessible,” Biggs says. “I decided to talk to a law school professor, and after that conversation I decided to switch my career path, and I immediately started studying for the LSAT.”
As Biggs studied for the law school exam, she was continuously reminded of her grandmother, who passed away from ALS in 2018 and had traveled to Thailand for stem cell treatments, looking for anything that would help.
“When I took Stem Cell Biology with Dr. Killian, I realized how important legislation and regulation is in making novel therapies accessible, and how maybe my grandmother’s life could have been prolonged,” Biggs says. “I learned that I didn’t have to choose between medicine and law but instead could play a critical role in protecting innovation and pushing the field of biotechnology forward to improve and save more lives.”
Biggs has a unique background for a law student and plans to use that to her advantage. Unlike many other pre-law students, she was a STEM major.
Inspired by her grandmother and what she learned in her classes, Biggs hopes to get involved in either patent litigation or prosecution. “It’s such a surreal feeling to look at firms I’d like to work for and see that they’ve worked on patenting technology that I’ve talked about in my classes, like cloning with Dolly the Sheep or CRISPR gene editing technology,” she says. “Some patent attorneys have told me that they use their technical degree more in patent law than they did in their previous related careers. I look forward to interacting with scientists and inventors, learning how their technology functions, and then working to get their inventions on the market where they can change lives.”
Biggs was concerned that because she was graduating in three years and had spent most of her time in the classroom or on the soccer field, she wouldn’t have enough to set her apart from other law school applicants. She spoke with different mentors and decided to apply broadly. She ended up being accepted into ten great programs and, after visiting some of the schools, realized she had a difficult choice to make. It wasn’t until her final campus tour, at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, that she knew where she belonged.
“The program has a fantastic reputation with many opportunities catering to patent law students,” says Biggs, who has family in Texas and hopes to start her career there.
Biggs is grateful for her experiences at CC, which both prepared and inspired her. In Fall 2023, Biggs conducted research on the efficacy of pro-drugs on preventing bacterial growth and biofilm formation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa alongside her advisor Dr. Olivia Hatton, Associate Chair and Professor of Molecular Biology.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Evie since she arrived at Colorado College,” Hatton says. “Evie has truly embraced the journey of a liberal arts education, keeping her mind open to different paths all while developing her critical thinking skills. She will no doubt excel in law school not only due to her intelligence, thoughtfulness, and the skills she’s honed in the classroom, but also in the leadership, teamwork, and dedication she’s shown while balancing her academic and athletic pursuits.”
Additionally, CC’s strong liberal arts education taught Biggs how to think critically, express herself and her ideas well, and gave her confidence in public speaking.
“Because my class sizes ranged from eight to 30 students, I have been expected to share my thoughts and opinions in discussions consistently, which makes me more confident to face the ‘cold calling’ that attends the Socratic teaching method in law school,” Biggs says.
Biggs adds that the liberal arts education at CC has allowed her to learn to read and write critically in the short time span required by the Block Plan. “Luckily, I’m already acquainted with reading a lot of material quickly, as that was required in classes like Political Thought from Kant to Nietzsche, Feminist Philosophies, and The Other Russia.”
“When I took Stem Cell Biology with Dr. Killian, I realized how important legislation and regulation is in making novel therapies accessible, and how maybe my grandmother’s life could have been prolonged. I learned that I didn’t have to choose between medicine and law but instead could play a critical role in protecting innovation and pushing the field of biotechnology forward to improve and save more lives.”
Evie Biggs ’25
“The faculty at CC is incredible, both in their scholarship and mentorship,” says Biggs, who played double bass in the Chamber Orchestra for two years, tutored for the Quantitative Reasoning Center during her senior year, and was a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. “I feel very blessed to have received my bachelor’s from Colorado College and to have spent three years in the Molecular Biology Department. The Molecular Biology Department was extremely supportive and helpful as I chose a semi-unconventional path. As a whole, the department is expert at teaching with an interdisciplinary lens, frequently bringing up how science topics intersected with social or legal issues. This made every class fascinating and applicable to me, even though I wasn’t pursuing healthcare or research.”
Biggs says that while she is grateful for all the staff and faculty at CC, a few stand out especially, including Student Success Specialist Gretchen Wardell, who Biggs describes as a wonderful pre-law advisor who helped her a lot with the stress of applying to law school.
“Gretchen continually helped me stay focused on my long-term goals when deciding where to apply and where to attend,” Biggs says. “I also have a great appreciation for the entire Molecular Biology Department, but especially Dr. Hatton and Dr. Killian. Dr. Hatton helped me accomplish my goal of graduating early and wholeheartedly supported me as I changed plans. Dr. Killian really piqued my interest and led me to discover my dream career through his lectures and discussions.”
Associate Professor and Chair of Molecular Biology Dr. Darrell Killian is equally impressed with Biggs, who took several classes with him. “Evie was often the first one in class in the morning quietly studying while I got set up,” Killian says. “Evie was always intensely focused in class and had a genuine interest for learning more about life at the molecular level. I took my daughters to see Evie and her team play against the Air Force Academy at Weidner Field downtown in a snowstorm! I have a huge amount of respect for Evie, and all other CC student-athletes, for balancing training, studies, and other interests.”