Students
The Deason Center offers a unique opportunity for students interested in public policy and criminal justice reform to gain hands-on experience. Student employees contribute to research, policy analysis, and advocacy efforts while developing skills that prepare them for careers in law, government, and social justice.
Students
Criminal Justice Law Scholarship
The Deason Center is pleased to provide an exclusive learning opportunity for students who are passionate about criminal legal reform and eager to understand how lawyers help shape public policy. Exceptional incoming students who demonstrate an interest these topics will be invited to interview for the Deason Center鈥檚 criminal law scholarship. Recipients assist in hands-on public policy work and have access to exclusive events, meetings with national thought leaders, and opportunities to network with criminal justice and public policy experts. Students develop the research, reform, and public policy skills necessary to champion meaningful change at the local, state, and national level.
Current Criminal Justice Law Scholars
Meet the exceptional SMU Law students working with the Deason Center
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Max Boyd
Max Boyd is a Criminal Law Scholarship recipient at the Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center and a 1L at SMU Dedman School of Law. Before law school, he spent more than a decade in the field of education, teaching writing at the University of Montana, mentoring post-baccalaureate students at San Francisco State University, and instructing students at St. John’s School in Houston, Texas.
Boyd brings a diverse professional background to the Deason Center. Before his career in education, he oversaw operations and managed a team of 200 at one of Best Buy’s highest-grossing locations. His expertise in leadership, conflict resolution, and public speaking—honed both in the classroom and in business—aligns with his dedication to mentorship, advocacy, and public service.
Boyd earned a B.A. in English from Vassar College and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Montana.
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Candace Simpson
Candace Simpson, a proud native of League City, Texas, graduated with honors in 2023 from Sam Houston State University with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in Legal Studies.
During her undergraduate years, she served as the community service chair for the National Panhellenic Council, where she organized numerous campus-wide community service events to provide necessities for low-income individuals and support pro bono legal assistance.
She is deeply passionate about criminal law, recognizing its potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of vulnerable individuals within the justice system. Her ultimate ambition is to build a career as a dedicated defense attorney.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Each spring, the Deason Center recruits a limited number of undergraduate students to work at the Deason Center for one year. Undergraduate research assistants are then employed full-time in the following summer and part-time in the following fall and spring.
