The product of public schools and a state-owned university, Lisa Grow was initially overwhelmed by the likes of her classmates at Harvard Law School.
Most had attended Ivy League universities, groomed from childhood to someday attend what is arguably the most prestigious law school in the country. Grow, on the other hand, graduated from Brighton High School and later earned a chemistry degree from the University of Utah."I was actually very intimidated when I got here. I did OK at the University of Utah. I wondered, `Does that mean I can do OK here, too?' "
In June, Grow will graduate at the top of her law class, No. 1 in a class of 560. Upon graduation, she will clerk for a federal appeals judge. A year later, she will be a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy.
OK, indeed.
Grow's not the first Utahn to graduate from Harvard Law School, but she is reportedly the only one to finish first in the class.
"The thing that makes that so remarkable is Harvard has the largest law classes of any major law school. The size of the pool is huge, which means graduating first in the class is an even greater distinction," said Jim Jardine, a Harvard Law School alumnus and chairman of the U. Board of Trustees.
To hear Utah professors tell it, Grow was headed to big things the minute she set foot on the U. campus.
Bill Breckenridge, U. professor of chemistry, describes Grow as "the best student I've ever had. That should tell you something. I had her for honors chemistry, and she was just fantastic. She was the kind of person when I'd grade her exam, I could make the key from her exam. You could read it and say `My gosh, she understands everything.' She was very quiet. She sat in the back and took it all in. She was very unassuming."
Grow said the U.'s ACCESS program helped her navigate through rigorous math and science courses where female students are vastly outnumbered by males.
ACCESS students live together on campus as freshmen. They attend class the summer before freshman year to become acquainted with the campus and professors and to build a network with other female students and faculty members.
"When you walk into a math class and there are only six other women and 50 men, it makes a big difference if you can see a friendly face," Grow said.
Grow, now 23, finished her undergraduate degree in three years, then spent a summer at the Harvard School of Divinity in an eight-week crash course in biblical Hebrew.
As a college sophomore, Grow traveled to the Middle East with Brigham Young University's Jerusalem Center, so she had some mastery of the language.
"What I knew was very limited, mostly conversational. I always wanted to read the Old Testament text in original Hebrew. . . . In theory, it (the Harvard class) was a year of Hebrew in eight weeks. Unfortunately, it left my head as quickly as it went in."
Once in law school, Grow rose to the top of her class. She has twice been named outstanding student of her class and is lead editor of student contributions to the Harvard Law Review.
The position enables Grow to work with students and hone her writing. Eventually, Grow would like to go into teaching after a few years of practicing law. She plans to return to Utah.
Grow's parents are Linda and Robert Grow of Salt Lake City. Robert Grow, president and chief operating officer of Geneva Steel, is an attorney. Lisa Grow said her father's legal background initially sparked her interest in the law.
But the top of the class at Harvard Law? "I just watch and go, `Wow! Where did you come from?' " Robert Grow said.
Grow's quiet, reflective demeanor sets her apart from most people in her law class, who come from diverse backgrounds and seemingly have concrete opinions on everything from the death penalty to the Equal Rights Amend-ment.
"One thing about me that surprises people around here is that I don't have more set opinions. I'm still changing my ideas about things. I think sometimes people expect me to have more formulated views. I'm not at that point in my life. I'm not ready to do that. I don't have it all figured out."