This March, we celebrate Women’s History Month and acknowledge the milestones and accomplishments of women throughout history, as well as their strength in the face of adversity. We also shine a spotlight on members of the Michigan State community striving to advance women’s spaces and share their stories.
Joellen Snow is a 1975 graduate of Michigan State with a degree in Political Science. Originally from Texas, Snow and her family moved to Midland for her father’s job when she was 12. She toured both Michigan and Michigan State in high school and ‘absolutely fell in love’ with the campus of MSU.
“It was my ideal of what a college campus should be,” she explained. “I loved the older buildings, the ivy-covered brick … I was just overwhelmed by it, and still am. Every time I come back to campus, I’m just in awe of how beautiful it is.”
Snow has been a practicing attorney in Houston, Texas for over 46 years, but her journey along this path first began while she was a Spartan. “I really started to envision my future career while I was at Michigan State,” she says. “I had so many wonderful opportunities in addition to great professors and courses.” Snow returned to Texas after graduation and earned her Juris Doctorate and Masters of Public Affairs from the University of Texas.
Snow felt supported by her professors and fellow students while earning her degree despite the College of Law being fairly male-dominated in the 1970s. She came face-to-face with sex discrimination in one of her first jobs out of law school, and, like many women at that time, eventually started her own practice.
“Even though I’d had good experiences while in law school, I think the job market was tough at that time for women attorneys,” she explained.
Shortly after establishing her practice, Snow was approached by Kathy Whitmire, the first female mayor of Houston, who offered her a position as an associate Municipal Court judge, a role Snow served in for over 40 years. After several years of representing the Texas State Employees Union in a successful effort to establish their right to organize throughout the state, a colleague suggested she consider probate law, and offered to assist her in transitioning to a new area of practice. Snow has specialized in probate, guardianship and estate planning ever since.
Snow enjoys the opportunities she gets through her practice to work closely with families faced with the often daunting task of probating wills, settling estates, and selling off property after a loved one has passed. “I have an opportunity to help people when they’re at a very vulnerable and difficult time in their lives,” she said. “People are overwhelmed, they may be grieving, and in need of someone to walk them through this process. I feel like I can be helpful to them in that time of need.”
Snow envisioned the beginnings of a fruitful career while she was earning her degree at Michigan State, and it has inspired her to continue to give back to the school that started it all. She is passionate about supporting experiential learning opportunities for students; as an undergrad, she worked for the Judiciary Committee of the Michigan House of Representatives and the district offices of two members of Congress.
“I ended up with a really well-rounded experience both in and outside of the classroom” she said. “I believe it’s great for students to have some experience in the real world before they graduate from college.”
Snow gives back through her establishment of an experiential learning scholarship for Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) students and through mentoring students in the Social Science Scholars program and WLI. She enjoys sharing some of her wisdom and the lessons she has learned throughout her storied career with eager Scholars and WLI student cohort members. “The women in the WLI remind me so much of myself when I was in college,” she said.
“It seems like all the students in both the Scholars program and the WLI are really bright, super motivated, interesting students,” Snow added. “It’s been a real pleasure to meet some of them and get to know them, and it gives me a reason to come back to campus.”
For Snow, Women’s History Month is an opportunity to remember the women who came before us and fought to secure civil rights, voting rights and equal opportunity. Snow herself was active in the Feminist movement while in school, and encourages students to carry the torch of activism.
“We haven’t broken every glass ceiling- we’re making progress, but we still have a long way to go,” she said. “I think it’s really important for women today to know and appreciate what female activists have done throughout our history to improve our lives, and what we can do to improve the lives of our daughters and granddaughters."
Honorees’ views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the College of Social Science.