Second-Place Winner of Constantine Cannon’s Whistleblower Essay Contest: Lana Thurman
The Constantine Cannon whistleblower team is pleased to share with you the Second-Place Winner of the firm’s Third Law School Scholarship Essay Contest on the importance of whistleblowers. That award (and the $500 prize) goes to Lana Thurman, a first-year student at UA Little Rock William H. Bowen Law School.
In her essay, Lana reflects on her transformative experience during a service project in a small village in Mexico, where alleged corporate negligence led to environmental devastation. Through the lens of whistleblower advocacy, Lana describes how the local community fought against what they saw as government corruption and ecological destruction caused by a poorly regulated landfill. Lana’s essay emphasizes the need for transparency and justice in protecting vulnerable populations.
We congratulate Lana for her take on whistleblowers and the difference they can make in bringing truth to power and improving the world for all of us. We also congratulate her for her Second-Place finish in this year’s contest, where she was up against particularly tough competition from scores of entries from dozens of law schools across the country.
We will be posting our first-place winner next week, so stay tuned. And please check back with us soon as we launch our next Scholarship Essay Contest in the coming weeks. In the meantime, if you’re not already a subscriber to our weekly newsletter, please sign up today so you stay up to date on the latest whistleblower and fraud news and developments.
The Importance of Whistleblowers: Lessons from Mexico
by Lana Thurman
From exposing wrongdoing to advocating for ethical conduct, whistleblowers uphold justice and fight for what is right. My understanding of their importance has been shaped profoundly by my time in in a small village in Mexico, during a service project as part of my studies at ITESO, Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara.
In 2018, I received UCA’s Travel Abroad Grant to study at ITESO. I was drawn to the Jesuit university’s commitment to community service and improving living conditions for impoverished communities. As part of my coursework in limnology, the study of freshwater ecosystems, I participated in The Political Ecology Program. This program travels to areas in environmental conflict to address issues related to water sources and agriculture. Our mission was to help the people of a small village devastated by ecological negligence.
The village, once a thriving community of just a hundred inhabitants, faced an environmental crisis due to a nearby municipal landfill owned by a large corporate waste management company. The landfill lacked the necessary protections to prevent runoff, resulting in the contamination of the village’s water sources with harmful pollutants like mercury and arsenic. The once beautiful stream running through the village, which supported tourism, agriculture, and livestock, turned into a toxic sludge, forcing many residents to leave.
The situation was a stark example of how corporate negligence and governmental corruption can devastate a community. Despite regulations requiring landfills to mitigate runoff, the landfill owner ignored these rules. Environmental activists raised alarms, but corruption within the government allowed the landfill to operate without proper oversight. The individual landfill owner was also one of the two individuals responsible for environmental regulation in the region, ensuring that no action was taken against the landfill.
During our fieldwork, my classmates and I conducted a stakeholder analysis and set up water sample collection stations along the impacted stream. We witnessed firsthand the dire consequences of the landfill’s operations: dead livestock, contaminated water, and a nearly deserted village. The few remaining residents shared their heartbreaking stories of a once vibrant community now plagued by illness and economic ruin.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of pollution, the waste management company that owned the landfill denied responsibility. However, our water samples confirmed the source of contamination. Armed with this indisputable proof, we drafted a formal recommendation to the organization, proposing bio-remediation techniques to reduce leachate pollution. Unfortunately, our efforts were met with silence. While our recommendations for bio-remediation techniques were ignored by the company, our efforts were a small step toward justice.
This experience illuminated the critical role whistleblowers play in exposing injustices and advocating for those without a voice. The people of this village, who protested against the landfill despite facing the government’s armed retaliation and arrests, exemplify the courage and resilience of whistleblowers. Their actions, although initially met with harsh consequences, eventually led to a greater awareness of the environmental disaster.
Whistleblowers operate within a framework similar to our efforts in Mexico. Just as my classmates and I faced challenges in collecting evidence and advocating for the people of the devastated village, whistleblowers often face significant personal and professional risks to expose unethical or illegal activities. In Mexico, we had to navigate the complexities of a corrupt system, conducting meticulous water sampling and stakeholder analysis to uncover the truth about the landfill’s impact. This act of courage and dedication mirrors the bravery required of whistleblowers, who step forward to shine a light on issues that affect public health, safety, and trust in institutions.
Our work in Mexico highlighted the importance of holding powerful entities accountable, much like whistleblowers do within governmental and corporate frameworks. By documenting the pollution and its effects on the local community, we aimed to promote transparency and advocate for justice. This hands-on experience underscored the necessity of transparency in fostering public trust and ensuring that actions align with the public interest. Whistleblowers, by exposing corruption and mismanagement, contribute to a more open and accountable society, much as our project in Mexico sought to create an inclusive and supportive environment for the villagers.
My experiences in Mexico have reinforced the importance of advocacy and representation in addressing injustices. Witnessing the devastating impact of environmental negligence on a vulnerable community, I understood the critical role of those who dare to speak out against wrongdoing. Whistleblowers, much like community advocates, are essential in promoting transparency, protecting public health, and ensuring accountability. As I continue my journey in law school and beyond, I am committed to supporting and advocating for whistleblowers, recognizing their crucial role in serving the public good and upholding the principles of justice.