The WIL Committee Welcomes a New Student Representative, Ann Metler

We are excited to announce that Ann Metler is joining the JRCLS International Women in Law Committee as the new student representative.  Read on to learn a little bit more about Ann.

Ann grew up in the shadow of Mt. Timpanogos in Utah.  She attended Orem High, Utah Valley State College (now UVU), BYU and later Graduate School at Utah State University.  After her freshman year of college, she had the opportunity to tour Europe with a close friend, an experience that ignited a life-long love of traveling and exploring other cultures.  She served in the Fresno, California Mission and returned to BYU.  After graduating from BYU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development, she got her first “real” job as a Social Worker assisting adults with mental illness in a day program.  This experience gave her the opportunity to be an advocate for others which she discovered she truly enjoyed and had a passion for.  Her first exposure in the law field came from her position with the County Attorney’s Office as a Victim Coordinator.  She had the responsibility of supporting the victims of felony crimes through the court process, keeping them informed, and preparing them for court hearings.  She met her husband, Rob Metler, at a BYU student ward, which was ironic, because neither one of them were students at the time.  They had a whirlwind courtship of 3 weeks (so fast that Rob was embarrassed to tell anyone) and they were married 8 weeks later.  Ann took time off from full-time employment and focused on being at home with her family.  She occasionally dabbled as a volunteer for Foster Care Review Boards, at her children’s schools, and even got to be involved in humanitarian work with international orphans, which has become another passion.  Her decision to go to law school was generated from years of gentle encouragement from her husband and quiet confirmation from The Spirit that the Lord had a plan for her.  After their family relocated to Portland, Oregon, for a change in her husband’s employment, the stars aligned and she was able to enroll at Willamette University College of Law.  Her ability to attend law school and be present for her 5 children has truly been a family effort.  She is grateful that law school is not her life and welcomes the sweet distraction and perspective her husband and children bring.  She has come to embrace her status as a non-traditional student and “trailblazer" representing her demographic as an LDS woman and mother.  She loves to enjoy the outdoors with her family, play volleyball, golf, travel and read.  She has enjoyed her association with her local student chapter of the JRCLS and is giddy about being involved with WIL and associating with such amazing women.  She hopes to be able to learn from and support other women and encourage women in the law field to follow their hearts, follow the Spirit, and stand for goodness.