Kiera Callahan ‘22, President of UVA Law’s Advocates for Disability Rights
Hi Kiera! Welcome to the Hot Bench. To start off—where are you from?
I grew up all over the U.S., so I don’t have a specific hometown! I was born in Wisconsin, and my family spent time in Pennsylvania. But I primarily grew up in Illinois, and then I went to Southern California where I did later schooling and went to college.
What are you involved in at UVA Law?
I’m President for Advocates for Disability Rights—the only student organization for disability rights at UVA Law. Our mission is advocacy and raising awareness around disability. It affects our life and can create limitations, but our goals are still achievable. I am also a fellow with the Law and Public Service Program, and a mentor for PILA.
What made you start thinking about law school, and what drove you to UVA in particular?
When I was 18, I got sick out of nowhere and had a growing list of symptoms. I began a long journey of trying to figure out what was wrong with me. I was sick for around two years, getting worse. I had to drop out of college. I was pretty confident that I had a brain tumor that was creating a condition called Cushing’s Disease. I had several doctors who confirmed my suspicions, but when we went to bigger institutions for treatment and surgery, no one believed me. I was told I was depressed, hysterical—the usual things said to women with health issues. This was a hard 180 in perspective from when I previously had confidence in the medical system.
I found a nearby surgeon who immediately recognized the signs and symptoms. He was UVA trained. I went through a series of brain surgeries, and the last one was successful. I lost most of my pituitary gland, which controls all hormone functions in your body. It changed my whole life trajectory. Before, I was thinking about being an actor and going to Los Angeles or NYC. After surgery, I thought I wanted to do something in the medical field because other people shouldn't have to undergo what I went through. When you have a malicious tumor, you shouldn’t have to fight to get treatment over something that causes so much harm.
I went back to college and took different classes to figure out my route. I considered med school or an M.P.H. In undergrad, I majored in medical anthropology. After my first year at University of California-Irvine, I had an “aha” moment that law school would be a good fit. I was watching a legal procedural and thought that maybe law school would be where I could make the impact I wanted to. There were no lawyers in my family, but my parents were supportive and thought I’d make a good lawyer.
I decided to prepare for the LSAT and within eight months I got into UVA. It was my first choice because of my surgeon. With more research, I found out UVA Law was unique as a top ten school with an emphasis on student wellbeing and collegiality. I liked that it was in a small town with nearby medical systems, unlike some other top law schools.
Is there a type of law you’d like to practice after Law School?
Being in public service, I’m not totally sure yet. I made the recent decision to get an M.P.H after Law School. I would like to go into health law ideally. I’ve done stuff in disability law which was interesting, but health law is where my heart lies, especially incorporating my undergrad connections and medical anthropology background. I’ve also thought about teaching. I want to see where life takes me. My family has a saying that goes “Man prepares and God laughs.” But, right now, I feel this is the direction I’m being led.
I love your Instagram account (@thewillowrunlife)!. Can you tell me a little more about it?
I started Insta at the beginning of my recovery journey after surgery. I wanted to raise awareness about Cushing’s because most people don’t know about it. It’s common in the veterinary world, but not for humans. What doctors know is outdated, which is how I got stuck in the outdated system and idea of women’s health. One of the big symptoms of Cushing’s is dramatic, quick weight gain, so I documented returning to feeling like myself again. I traced my recovery via my interests in things like makeup and fashion and showcased that in my account.
After getting into UVA, I found that the account no longer spoke to my interests. I touched upon my chronic illness but hadn’t talked about it with full force or opened up the floor to talk about disability, identity, faith, positivity, and recognizing grief as your body changes. I realized I wanted to change direction. I know there’s not a lot of people in the legal field with chronic disability and recovering from Cushing’s specifically. Instagram allowed me to express what I was going through and gave me opportunities to post and discuss, especially with the stories feature. I just wanted to talk about being a lawyer with chronic illness.
My first year of Law School, I got sick with more conditions, which further changed my trajectory. It’s believed I have a genetic disease that was triggered with Cushing’s recovery. During 1L year, my symptoms changed dramatically, which forced me into the disability space. Suddenly I wasn’t dealing with my symptoms from brain surgery but also other new symptoms. I leaned into talking about disability more than in the past.
I understand you also post vlogs on YouTube! How did you start doing that?
At first, I didn’t want to do YouTube because of fear of unkind comments. Then during 1L, I went to the Mayo Clinic to figure out my other symptoms, and my family encouraged me to document my journey there. At that point, I created my YouTube account. I hadn’t been able to find on YouTube someone who was a lawyer with chronic illness. My approach to success on these platforms is finding gaps and providing content for these people.
I applied for my service dog Bonnie at the beginning of Law School. The waitlist for service dogs in VA is about one to two years. I waited about 1.5 years and got her in October 2020. It was a big change to adapt to having a service animal and bonding as a team, and I stepped off a bit from YouTube engagement. People with chronic illness live two lives -- professional and personal. One can encroach on the other, so it’s always a balance between the two. Right now, I’m finding my balance. After getting more diagnoses, I’d like to talk on Youtube about having a service animal, finishing law school, and jobs for after.
Lightning Round!
Favorite place to eat in Cville? Doma.
Favorite Movie or TV Show? I love period pieces, like Sandition on Masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice, and Northanger Abbey. I also love book adaptions, like Shadow and Bone. I love Bones, Castle, anything murder mystery. For movies, anything Marvel. I’m very much a nerd. I love Star Wars and action movies.
Favorite word? I really like “effervescent.” I had a close friend in high school who was blind, and I really admired them. That friend said I was effervescent. It was one of the most kind compliments I’ve received.
Favorite law school course? I really loved Con Law. Other than that, probably bioethics. We studied different areas and collaborated with the M.P.H. school, so right up my alley. I love any class with Professors Riley and Shepherd.