Jane’s experiences with Uni High are simply based on pure joy and were some of the most transformative years of Jane’s life. Uni gave its students a freedom to explore themselves which is hard to find elsewhere. That freedom allows its students to find a maturity that propels them through their future endeavors with more precision than others. Jane Hays is the perfect example of this.  Through classes and extracurriculars alike, Jane showed amazing competence in public speaking, writing, creating sound arguments, and analyzing different situations. The subsequent recommendation to study Law came from her English teacher, Mrs. Tibbitts. As an undergraduate at the University of Illinois, Jane was an English Literature Major and immediately followed that up by attending the University of Illinois School of Law.

Post-graduation, Jane worked as a General Practice Lawyer at a firm for 14 years and was partnered with that firm for 10 years. She left her job practicing Law in 1993 though and switched gears to something a little different. Jane joined The Downey Group, a boutique insurance planning firm based out of Champaign and Chicago. Currently, Jane still works there as a Managing Director and is approaching 3 decades of experience with the firm.