Grief With Somewhere to Go: Honoring Cheslie C. Kryst
By If you didn’t know Cheslie Kryst, I wish you had.
She was the kind of person you remember long after she leaves the room: sharp, radiant, grounded in purpose.
Cheslie was compassion in action.
She was brilliance without ego.
She was joy, justice, and power, all in one.
I first met Cheslie when we were student ambassadors at Wake Forest University School of Law. I was new and nervous; she was poised and practiced. With one luminous smile and a warm hand on mine, she made me feel like I belonged. That was her gift. She had presence, yes, but more importantly, she left you feeling like you were the most important person in the world. She made people feel seen, truly seen, without ever shrinking herself to do it.
In the five years following Cheslie’s law school graduation, she made her mark and she made it loudly. She was dedicated to freeing wrongfully incarcerated clients, she empowered women from all walks of life to dress for success, she was the oldest Miss USA when she was crowned in 2019 and served as the longest reining Miss USA titleholder, she represented Wake Forest Law in its first national trial team win, and she was Poyner Spruill’s first Diversity Advisor. Cheslie carried all this with so much grace: the weight of being first, the burden of being “exceptional,” and the quiet battles that come with being human in a world that demands perfection.
Alongside this grace, Cheslie quietly struggled. And in January 2022, Cheslie died by suicide. That grief still lingers with those of us who were lucky enough to be impacted by Cheslie.
So does her light.
The Cheslie C. Kryst Justice Fund
To honor her, we created the Cheslie C. Kryst Justice Fund, the second Justice Fund ever established by the NCBA Young Lawyers Division. It reflects what Cheslie believed in: a profession that doesn’t just look different, but is different. One that celebrates strength and makes space for vulnerability. One that doesn’t ask you to choose between excellence and authenticity. Cheslie showed me that we can be fully ourselves in the legal profession, and this Fund emphasizes that.
The Fund also supports the Open Door Fellowship, a program for law students and new lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds: first-generation professionals, multiple marginalized advocates, and anyone still trying to find their place in a profession that too often tells them they don’t belong.
Cheslie knew that feeling. And she still made space for others.
Help Us Finish What She Started
Our goal is to raise $50,000 in cash gifts and pledges to support this Fund. As of today, we’ve secured $33,176 in pledges. We’re close. But we need your help to finish strong.
Donate to the fund via the NCBF website.
Every gift honors Cheslie’s legacy – and lights the way forward for those following in her footsteps.
Cheslie once told one of her professors, “I want to know how one can use law to change the world.” Cheslie accomplished that in so many ways – from her pro bono work to her mentorship to her impact on the legal profession itself. Now we get to continue her legacy for all of us who get to walk through the doors she held open.