May 16, 1997 EDITOR'S NOTE: The University of Oregon School of Law's annual commencement is at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 18, in the Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, One Eugene Centre. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber will deliver the keynote address. For more information on these news tips, call the numbers listed, or the Office of Communications, (541) 346-3134. * Lourdes Sanchez didn't let a language barrier and teen pregnancy stand in the way of her goals. On Sunday, the 24-year-old single mom and native of Puerto Rico will graduate from the University of Oregon School of Law. Sanchez moved to Eugene from Puerto Rico with her family in 1984 and didn't speak a word of English. She graduated from Churchill High School with honors at age 16, attended the UO on a full five-year scholarship majoring in math and economics and then went on to law school. "I saw that people who don't speak English face discrimination and serious barriers," says Sanchez. "I wanted to learn the law to help the disadvantaged." While a student, Sanchez tutored migrant workers, worked with disadvantaged youth and with refugees seeking asylum. She also speaks to minority youngsters in local schools about the value of education and hard work. Sanchez hopes to work in the court system and then practice criminal defense. SOURCE: Lourdes Sanchez, (541) 342-1396. * Accessibility is more than just being able to get into a building, according to soon-to-be UO law graduate Barbara Fields. Fields, who uses crutches as a result of contracting polio as a child, says institutions must work hard to make their buildings friendly and welcoming places for all people. "My career goal is to work toward inclusion of all people with disabilities and it's not just about access, it's also about attitude," says Fields. "With every encounter institutions have with people who have disabilities, they have an opportunity and obligation to improve access and remove barriers--people shouldn't have to constantly reinvent the wheel." While a law student, the 49-year-old Fields worked with the law school to make the building more accessible and is currently involved in planning for the university's new law center. She recently received an award from the City of Eugene for her ongoing work in disability awareness. SOURCE: Barbara Fields, (541) 689-0409. RETIRED ARMY OFFICER JOINS RANKS OF LAW GRADS Eric Watkins is living the "be all that you can be" motto. The 48-year-old retired Army lieutenant colonel will soon receive two advanced degrees from the UO, a law degree on Sunday and a master of business administration degree in June. Watkins retired from the Army in 1992 and took a year off before deciding he wanted to go back to school. "I started working with nonprofits when my family and I moved to Oregon and loved the work," says Watkins. "I saw a real need for people with management skills and knowledge of the law and decided to educate myself in those areas so I could better serve these organizations." Watkins, who served as an armored cavalry officer in Europe, Korea and around the United States, says the hardest part of going back to school was calculus. "I was also worried that my much younger fellow students might have a hard time with this retired military officer, but they accepted me into their ranks and it's been a wonderful experience." Watkins plans to open his own practice and work with nonprofit organizations. SOURCE: Eric Watkins, (541) 687-8404. -30-