WASHINGTON, D.C. — In 2013, when Laura Wolk started law school at Notre Dame and her plans to get the necessary assistive technology fell through, it was her then professor, Amy Coney Barrett, that came to Wolk's rescue.

"She immediately swooped in and she told me, 'This isn’t your problem anymore. It’s my problem.' She came in for me as an advocate and helped me to get the tools that I needed very quickly," said Wolk.

The 33-year-old, who is completely blind, has viewed Barrett, President Donald Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court, as a mentor and role model ever since.

"As a person with a disability, I oftentimes tend to downplay the impact some sort of barrier or struggle was having on me and with Professor Barrett, I actually felt comfortable expressing the depth of the struggle I was having," said Wolk.

Wolk, who went on to become a clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, describes Barrett's legal mind as "top-notch" and "in a league of its own."

"She strengthened your position by giving you the very best counter-arguments that were out there. No one ever knew what Professor Barrett thought about an issue. She never injected herself or gave a final conclusion like ultimately I think this is the best way of doing it," said Wolk.

But not everyone is as enthusiastic as Wolk. More than 1,500 alumni from Rhodes College in Tennessee where Barrett did her undergraduate work before attending and then teaching at Notre Dame Law, wrote a letter last month to Rhodes' college president arguing Barrett's record on issues like healthcare, LGBTQ rights, abortion and the process that produced her nomination are opposed to their values. Still, Wolk believes Barrett will be an objective justice.

"She’s going to look at the law. She’s going to look at the text, the history, these tools that she uses, that originalists use, that textualists use and give these counter-arguments the best possible shake they can receive and she will arrive at an answer that is honestly derived from the law and not her personal policy preferences," said Wolk.

Despite sustained outcry from Congressional Democrats, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving forward with Barrett's nomination process less than fifty days from the election.

McConnell blocked Senate confirmation hearings for former President Barack Obama's nominee Merrick Garland in 2016. Garland's nomination remained in limbo for 293 days.

Congressional hearings for Barrett are scheduled to begin October 12th.