Nation’s first Online J.D. Program graduates share special camaraderie at St. Mary’s Law

Virtual trailblazers

by Nathaniel Miller

When Armando Martinez (J.D. ’25) walked across the stage, it was a monumental moment — not just for him but for the St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Martinez, alongside Jaime Bernes (J.D. ’25) and Patricia Chi Triplett (J.D. ’25), were among the first three people to receive their Doctor of Jurisprudence after completing the School of Law’s Online J.D. Program.

The trio graduated and walked the stage in December 2025. Five other students also graduated in the fall but elected to walk with their 15 classmates who are graduating in May.

Together, the cohort known as Section O is the inaugural group for the law school’s Online J.D. Program. When it launched in Fall 2022, it was the first fully online J.D. program accredited by the American Bar Association. Now, additional law schools have followed the St. Mary’s Law example with their own online programs.

Created to give non-traditional students an opportunity to obtain a law degree outside a classroom setting in a part-time program, Section O was filled with myriad students, many of whom worked full time and had families.

Now, the School of Law has three more cohorts, each starting in the fall, and capped at 25 students.

“St. Mary’s made it possible for Section O to pursue a legal education without stepping away from service,” said Martinez, Texas state representative for District 39, representing Hidalgo County. “The program demanded discipline and focus and is a proud reminder that, with the right structure, working professionals can achieve excellence while continuing to serve their communities.”

Martinez also found that the program’s flexibility allowed him to balance a busy schedule.

“With the program being fully online, I could get it to align with my work and legislative schedules, plus my home life,” he said.

The class met online on Zoom, mostly seeing each other in little boxes with their names. Some had the opportunity to come to campus more often than others.

Still, the cohort found ways to build a community. Many opened their virtual rooms for study groups on weekends, logged in to chat before or after class, and communicated via a mobile messaging board to share life updates.

“The graduation of our inaugural Online J.D. cohort underscores the School of Law’s commitment to expanding access without compromising academic quality,” said Chad Pomeroy, J.D., Director of Online J.D. Programs. “They have helped us demonstrate that meaningful legal education can be delivered effectively in innovative formats.”

Genevieve Hébert Fajardo, J.D., Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Clinical Professor of Law, also offered praise.

“These exceptional students enhance the reputation and reach of the law school across the United States and serve as a testament to the academic value of online learning,” she said.

Laying the groundwork for future online sections, the students of Section O walk away not just with a degree but with new friends and opportunities.

“We got close and saw the challenges that we all went through in daily life,” said Jacqueline Gurley (J.D. ’25). “I now have 22 friends across the country who experienced this with me, and it’s amazing to see that we did this.”

A new opportunity

Growing up, Lance Strand never thought he would go to college, much less become an attorney.

Originally from Tucson, Arizona, he describes himself as a smart student who wanted to play sports and focus less on his studies. After graduating from high school, he served six years in the U.S. Coast Guard. At his first duty station on South Padre Island, he met his wife and later moved to her hometown of McAllen.

After earning his associate and bachelor’s degrees, Strand was told repeatedly by members of his wife’s family that he would make a good attorney.

He applied to two places: a law school in Houston, where he would have to attend on-campus courses, and St. Mary’s University, where the Online J.D. Program had just begun accepting applications.

Accepted to both, he knew the choice was an easy one.

“This program was an absolute blessing to me,” said Strand, a father of four. “We would have made it work no matter what, but it would have been hard on my family, so being able to have the flexibility of the program made me a better person during this.”

The rigors of the program are no different than in-person instruction. Students still get cold-called — randomly questioned on assigned readings without warning — by their professors. During their first year, Section O also participated in the Linda and Dave Schlueter First-Year Moot Court Competition, a simulated court proceeding requirement of all first-year J.D. students.

After graduation, Strand will take the bar exam and select his practice area.

In finding the online program, meeting his classmates and being able to pursue a dream he never thought possible, Strand said he was able to “cash in whatever good karma” he’s built up over his lifetime.

“This program is wonderful,” he said. “There are other universities that have rolled out their own programs, but there’s pride in being in the inaugural class. I’m very grateful and very blessed.”

A change in careers

Tim Wood, Ph.D., was a little worried about being a student again.

For the first time since earning his Ph.D. in Early American Religious and Intellectual History from Marquette University, the Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Missouri found himself back in the student chair.

“It was an interesting role reversal and one that you don’t get to experience every day,” he said. “You spend the days on one side of the desk, counseling students, grading their work. Then, at night, you’re on the opposite side of that exchange.”

With more than two decades of teaching experience, Wood found himself thinking about a career change. Taking him seriously, his wife began researching law schools, finding St. Mary’s University.

The rest, he said, is history.

Having earned his previous degrees “the old-fashioned way,” he had experience teaching online, so he knew what to expect. He also did not consider himself ahead of his classmates.

“I did not know any more about the law than any other person,” he said. “I remember a few professors made remarks about it being an interesting role reversal, but you have to be a lifelong learner.”

The rules were simple: Cameras must always be on, and students must complete assignments on time. The access to professors and their willingness to be flexible with office hours gave Wood a chance to teach his own courses and complete assignments.

Being in Missouri, he was surprised by how close the cohort became. When his father died a month after he started the program, he received overwhelming support from his classmates.

“That’s the moment I knew that I hit something special because it would have been easy to have not said anything,” Wood said. “These are people who were strangers just a few years ago, who live across the country, and are now some of my closest friends.”

Policy mover and shaker

Victoria Villarreal wants to serve.

During her final two years at the University of Texas at Austin, the San Antonio native worked in the office of State Sen. Brian Birdwell, knowing she eventually wanted to continue to law school.

With plans to go to Tulane University School of Law, her progress was put on hold when she graduated in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. So, she kept deferring her admission until 2022, when she learned about the St. Mary’s Law Online J.D. Program.

The experience of an online class was, she imagines, no different than being in a law classroom. She has become used to fielding questions from interested parties about her experience at the School of Law.

“When you’re in the hot seat, you’re in the hot seat,” Villarreal said. “It’s just as embarrassing to get a cold call question wrong in person as it is online.”

Moving out of the political realm and into the private sector helped her better balance her career and school. Now that she’s at the end, Villarreal is looking forward to returning to politics.

“I was working toward exactly what I wanted to do,” Villarreal said. “I could see in real time the practical application of my learnings, which made it feel even more purposeful, and confirmed that I was doing the right thing that would be beneficial to my career.”

Home away from home

Gurley and her family have always called Del Rio home.

Her family comes from a long line of community leaders. Her grandmother, Dorothy Gillis Gurley-Cauthorn, and aunt, Susan Gurley McBee, both served in the Texas House of Representatives. Her great-great-grandfather, Walter Gillis, was a state district judge.

With an interest in law, Gurley instead took a different route: she became a teacher before earning a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University and becoming the lead librarian at Del Rio High School.

When she heard about the Online J.D. Program, she knew she had to apply.

“There is no way I could have gone to law school in person, full time, without this program,” she said. “This allowed me to have a successful career while also being a single mom of twins.”

It wasn’t just the support of her family at home that made the program achievable for her. The School of Law community welcomed her children, including greeting them in person at the school’s annual Boo Bash, which provides trick-or-treating and games for local children.

Together, the students of Section O raised just under $1,800, giving the money to Online J.D. student Grayson Russell to purchase Halloween candy for the event.

“Professors and staff were walking up to my twins at Boo Bash and have been a big support,” she said.

Russell, along with Austin Halvorson, are Gurley’s “law besties.” Gurley and Russell both graduated in December but are walking the stage together with Halvorson, who graduates in May.

“There is no way I could have gone to law school in person, full time, without this program,” she said. “This allowed me to have a successful career while also being a single mom of twins.”

Jacqueline Gurley (J.D. ’25)

Now studying for the bar, Gurley is working for the Far West Texas Regional Public Defender’s new office in Del Rio, which represents indigent defendants in felony, misdemeanor and juvenile cases.

Following the University mission of empowering servant leaders, Gurley said she wants to give back to her community and would not have been able to take the next step in her career without the Online J.D. Program.

“Because of St. Mary’s University’s willingness to step out of the box and be the first ones to offer a fully online J.D. program, I am just so grateful for them,” she said.

Catching up with Section O

Gold & Blue Law Edition published an article on Section O highlighting some of the students in the inaugural Online J.D. Program in Fall 2023. With most of the first cohort graduating in May 2026, we followed up with a few of those students originally highlighted.