CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC fans across the Triangle are celebrating their epic win from this past weekend, but many students were also preparing for their finals.

Instead of letting it ruin the celebration, one student found a way to change the due date of her final project for her class.

• UNC beat Duke this weekend after both teams faced off for the first time ever in the NCAA Tournament
• Some UNC law students had a final project due the same weekend, worth 65% of their grade
• A student was able to get an extension for the project due to "something wild" happening

Jess Errico is getting her law degree from UNC after doing her undergrad at N.C. State.  

“Most of us learn our ABCs, anyone but Carolina. For me, it was ABD, anybody but Duke,” Errico said.

Unfortunately, she had a major project due the same weekend as the UNC-Duke game.

“In our legal writing course we have a capstone project, which is 65% of our grade, where we write a final motion memo in this case summary judgment for our professors to grade,” Errico said.

Extensions are only granted for “something wild.” So, Errico decided to take her shot, writing to her professor that UNC and Duke being in the Final Four for the first time ever fit that description. 

“I thought, I could email and ask on behalf of myself and anybody else, and get it done if they say no. But I thought I would try to make them laugh a little,” she explained.

Errico wrote a mini memo and sent the entire Legal Writing Department of UNC a motion for extension of time to file for their final memo. To her surprise, they wrote back.

“I was floored when I saw not only they granted the extension, I was floored they’d picked up what I had given them and run with it. They issued the extension in the form of a court order,” Errico said.

Their professor sent the response to the entire class, and law student Ed Kellermann made a TikTok about it. It’s since received thousands of views.

“They all got a good laugh out of it, which is exactly what I was hoping for,” Errico said.