Hometown: Southcentral, Alaska
Program: JD
Graduation Date: May 2006
Current Position: Author
Bristol grew up in Southcentral Alaska, splitting her time between attending school in Anchorage and living off-the-grid at the family homestead on Flat Horn Lake, with no running water, electricity, or road access, but she had a lot of books! Bristol went to college at University of Alaska – Anchorage – where she majored in business/marketing. This allowed her to get a job in marketing for architecture/engineering firms, writing proposals. When she was offered to be made partner, she thought to herself, “Do I want to do this for the rest of my life?”
Bristol had always been interested in constitutional law so she made a career pivot and decided to go to law school! After law school, Bristol was offered a job at a large law firm working in real estate / land use. While she enjoyed her mentors, she did not enjoy the practice of law and Bristol went back to her previous career in the design industry. In 2014, Bristol opened a Belgium beer bar in Portland, with a second location following in 2016! Bristol sold her bar in 2019, months before the COVID lock-down. During the lockdown she decided to focus on her writing and that resulted in Afterward - her debut novel published in 2025 about a young woman navigating a traumatic event and its effect on her relationships and her own life.
Today, Bristol has submitted her second book about a man moving to off-the-grid Alaska, and is working on two additional manuscripts. She is also helping with the 20th reunion plans for the Class of 2006 that will take place on October 17, 2026. Mark your calendars!
What advice would you give to a graduating student who's looking for a job?
“Follow your heart – whether that’s in law or out of law – that allows you to make a huge impact on people’s lives. There are so many things you can do with a law degree.”