Alysa Steenport, a third-year student at University of Wisconsin Law School, has earned the 2026 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Outstanding Law Student Award from the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA).

She will be honored alongside other professionals and organizations Dec. 1 in Washington, D.C. The WWCDA Awards Gala "recognizes exceptional leaders whose work has strengthened the white collar and compliance profession while advancing equality throughout the field."

Steenport "has distinguished herself through academic achievement, leadership, public service, and a commitment to constructive dialogue." She serves as a Student Bar Association representative, peer mentor and student ambassador and previously served as vice president of the Antitrust Law Association. 

Steenport has gained experience across private practice and public service, including work with Stafford Rosenbaum LLP and externships with the Wisconsin Department of Justice and the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

 Her commitment to service extends beyond her legal studies. She volunteers with Braver Angels, an organization focused on depolarization and bridging partisan divides, and serves as project manager for a University of Wisconsin Values Exchange program, a dialogue and skill-building initiative that helps professional students navigate differences in complex situations. Her previous volunteer service has also included work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. 

"I view this recognition as both a reminder of and a responsibility to the values at the heart of Justice Ginbsurg's legacy," Steenport said. "To me, one of the defining features of Justice Ginsburg's example was her ability to advance meaningful change while fostering genuine relationships with those who held opposing views. She demonstrated that rigorous advocacy, fierce disagreement and deep personal affection are not mutually exclusive. I aspire to live out that example in my own life and career, and this recognition reminds me that I do not pursue that aspiration alone."

Submitted by Law School News on September 18, 2026

This article appears in the categories: Features, Students