PENN STATE DICKINSON LAW STUDENTS MAKE CRITICAL CONNECTIONS AT DIVERSITY MENTORSHIP NETWORKING NIGHT
February 2025 — Penn State Dickinson Law held its Sixth Annual Diversity Mentorship Networking Night (DMNN) on January 29. The event connects students, especially those from marginalized or minority backgrounds, with practitioners, creating beneficial new relationships. In fact, one forged last year led to this year’s keynote speaker selection.
During the 2024 event, Menen Pierre ’26 spoke with Hon. Taisha L. Chambers ’08, Supervising Judge on the Civil Court, Bronx County. They had much in common — both grew up in the Bronx and are of Caribbean descent. When Black Law Students Association (BLSA) President Pierre, who helped plan this year’s event, and other organizers were brainstorming candidates to deliver the event’s keynote address, Chambers immediately came to mind.
“Last year, she traveled all the way from New York to participate in this one event held in the evening,” said Pierre. “I thought that was a significant sacrifice she made, demonstrating her interest in networking with students. When we were deciding who to bring in for the keynote, I thought of her because of that sacrifice. Once we contacted Judge Chambers, she accepted the invitation in about five minutes.”
Chambers proved an inspired choice, sharing frank recollections of her time at Penn State Dickinson Law and beyond. Following her keynote, students broke into small groups and visited with alumni and other invited practitioners in a “speed networking” setup that allowed every student to interact with all those attending.
The event closed with a catered dinner and additional time for conversation with the practitioners. “Each year it is a very valuable experience for me, particularly as a woman of color, to see so many attorneys and judges who look like me. It is so empowering, and I appreciate their willingness to share their expertise,” said Pierre. “To this day, I still keep in contact with some of the attorneys I met last year.”
In addition to BLSA, the other DMNN sponsors are Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), Middle Eastern and South Asian Law Students Association (MESALSA), OutLaw, and the Women’s Law Caucus (WLC).
‘You belong in every space that you are in’
Chambers delivered an impactful keynote focused on getting the most out of networking while discussing bias and discrimination she has encountered in her hugely successful career.
“Unfortunately, human beings feel the need to consistently stereotype. They feel the need to exercise both implicit and explicit biases, and so that creates a burden for you every time you walk into a room to be a good representation of all the groups that you can list off as who you are,” said Chambers. “But I want to tell you that it can be a joy to do so, and you can take pride in wearing that crown. All of you have a crown, and the crown is a representation of all the groups that make you who you are.”
She then encouraged students to take up space and believe in themselves. “Your mere existence is absolutely necessary. You belong in every space that you are in. Your presence is, at all times, influencing and inspiring somebody,” said Chambers.
Her words resonated with students. “Her experience inspired me. She told us that every person from a different background belongs to a space in this legal area, and that means a lot,” said Sarah Yu ’27, a student from China. “We all have different experiences, speak different languages, and come from different backgrounds, but we can also come to hear and communicate with and learn from each other.”
Allie Wong ’27 agreed. “Judge Chambers said that often she would go to court, and people would think, because of her appearance or being a woman, that she was a paralegal,” said Wong. “That is also true in other countries. Every time I went to court in Taiwan, people would think I was a paralegal even though I was a lawyer — just because I am a woman. I do not think it is fair, and I hope that can improve in our community in the future. It was powerful to hear her talk about it.”
Gaining professional insights through conversation
Following Chambers’ keynote, students divided into small groups for speed networking. They spent five minutes at each of nine tables where practitioners were stationed around the commons. Conversation topics ranged from summer internship opportunities to breaking the ice with more experienced attorneys in a professional setting to securing a mentor.
Mireille Rebeiz ’24, chair of Middle East studies and associate professor of francophone studies and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Dickinson College, earned her S.J.D. at Penn State Dickinson Law. She returned for DMNN after receiving an invitation from a MESALSA member.
“As one of the very few Middle Eastern and Arab American students, I wanted to come and give back to the community and to students who are interested in a different, non-traditional route because my journey of pursuing a doctorate in law as a professor and mother is very different than the traditional route,” said Rebeiz. “I wanted to show there are different ways of working with a law degree.”
Fellow practitioner Janaki Theivakumaran, special assistant at the Pennsylvania Parole Board, agreed. “It is important for law students to see that being a lawyer does not necessarily mean being a litigator,” said Theivakumaran. “As a South Asian woman in Central Pennslvania, I understand the importance of representing my community in this legal field. Not everyone may look like me or have the same career path, and I want to show people you can be and do whatever you want to be.”
Yu walked away from the evening with renewed confidence. “I received so much support from our conversations,” said Yu. “The practitioners encouraged me and my classmates and let us know that they are willing to provide us with help beyond our imagination.”
A special thank you to all the practitioners who attended DMNN:
Hon. Taisha L. Chambers ’08
Eric Le ’23
Iman Woodyard ’21
Judge Kuyomars Golparvar (Penn State Dickinson Law adjunct professor)
Janaki Theivakumaran
Maureen Gorman ’18
Jenni Chavis
Harvey Ahn ’22
Magda Patitsas ’14
Angela Dean (Penn State Dickinson Law visiting assistant professor)
Bingran Li ’22
Abi Hassen (Penn State Dickinson Law visiting assistant professor)
Mireille Rebeiz ’24
Timothy Henderson