Before she was a Richmond Law professor, Corinna Lain was an enlistee in the U.S. Army. She spent most of that time as a truck driver, which meant that she never jumped out of a plane — airborne did that. It took the intercession of Polina Tsvetikova Washington, L’16, to get her to make the leap.

To honor her former Richmond Law professor and adviser, Washington nominated Lain for a tandem jump with the Golden Knights, the Army’s demonstration and competition parachute team. Lain “had a go-getter attitude — her life accomplishments prove that — and came across as fearless,” Washington said. “I consider Professor Lain to be the perfect fit” for the program, “which [seeks] out influential people.”

“I was nervous,” Lain confessed. During the 45-minute pre-jump training, she had one question: “What happens if I faint?”

She didn’t faint. When she touched ground again, she was gleeful, calling it “one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had in my life. The [free fall] feels like you’re flying.”