VALPARAISO | The professor's question about an intricacy of criminal law seemed to leave some students reluctant to make eye contact.

Not Marquise McMiller, who raised an insistent hand in the air.

And the 18-year-old wasn't even a student in the class.

McMiller was one of two dozen high school students from Gary and Evanston, Ill., taking part in Friday's Discover Law day at Valparaiso University School of Law.

The program, set to coincide with the national Law School Admission Council's DiscoverLaw.org campaign, aims to boost the numbers of minorities in the law profession. While minorities make up one-third of the U.S. population, they represent only 10 percent of those in the legal profession, said Stephanie Medlock, director of professional and community studies for VU's law school.

A day of attending a law class, speaking with professors and students, and experiencing campus life was designed to spark an early interest in law in the high school students, Medlock said.

Students learned of the grades they need to get, the tests they need to pass and the other steps they need to take if they intend to enroll in law school some day, she said.

Discover Law day was well-suited for McMiller.

The West Side High School senior visits the Indiana University Northwest law library to study on his own and "definitely" wants to go to law school.

"This really touched my interests," he said.

And it led to his eagerness in professor Derrick Carter's criminal procedures class.

"When some of the students weren't answering," McMiller said, "I wanted to answer."

Exploring law is one component of Gary Community School Corp.'s Professional Resource Education Programs, sponsor Sharon Hamblin said.

Students also can explore business, engineering and health careers through a series of presentations and activities that generally take place on Saturdays, Hamblin said.

The program helps students determine if the particular field is one they really want to pursue, she said.