25 Aug 2021
Kelly Shanahan, ’23, has been awarded an Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) Advancement of Animal Law Scholarship. This award is presented annually to leaders of the ALDF student chapters who have demonstrated a commitment to ALDF’s mission, “to advance the interests and protect the lives of animals through the legal system.”
In 2020-2021, Shanahan was the vice president of the Nebraska Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and is currently the chapter’s president. This summer, Shanahan was an intern for the Earth Law Center, and she is working with the Animal Welfare Institute’s farmed animal program this fall.
Shanahan’s interest in animal law began after work for the University of Minnesota’s raptor center as a wildlife educator and naturalist. After working with birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Endangered Species Act, and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, she became passionate about wildlife conservation and environmental protection.