PENN STATE DICKINSON LAW WELCOMES DIVERSE AND ACCOMPLISHED CLASS OF 2027 TO CARLISLE
September 2024 — Encouraging students to “contest, challenge, and investigate” while avoiding becoming “parrots of poured knowledge,” Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway formally welcomed the Penn State Dickinson Law Class of 2027 and incoming LL.M., S.J.D., and exchange students to Carlisle during a convocation held August 22 at the Apfelbaum Family Courtroom and Auditorium.
“This is a place and a space of teaching and learning by every community member, and when I say every, I mean myself as dean; our faculty and the many, many, many years of experience that they have; our staff who keep this place humming; and our students. All of you are bringing this amazing energy that we feel this morning,” said Conway.
The J.D. students spent three days easing into the Penn State Dickinson Law experience during orientation and convocation, attending educational sessions on inclusivity, professional identity, academic success, and more. LL.M., S.J.D., and exchange students also participated in the events, including sessions on using the H. Laddie Montague Jr. Law Library and an introduction to U.S. law.
Conway praised the students for choosing to pursue a legal career. “You are bringing your hopes and your dreams, but most important, you are bringing your courage to a profession that needs you desperately,” said Conway. “And why do we need you desperately? We need you desperately because people are losing faith in the rule of law. People are losing faith in a democracy. People are questioning the durability of the United States Constitution. Your courage gives me strength.”
Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid Bekah Saidman-Krauss ‘12 opened convocation by welcoming new students and providing an overview of their considerable accomplishments. “You are advocates for the vulnerable and the disenfranchised. You are protectors of the rule of law, and for some of us, you are the epitome of hope for our collective future,” said Saidman-Krauss.
Assistant Professor of Law Lucy Johnston-Walsh, director of the Children’s Advocacy Clinic and Center on Children and the Law, addressed the incoming students on behalf of the faculty. “As professors, we are here for you. We cannot be professors without you, and we need you just as much as you need us,” said Johnston-Walsh. “There are many days that I learn things from my students. We are very much also looking forward to learning from you.”
Student Bar Association President Joshua Hanson ’25 told a story illustrating the unique nature of the Penn State Dickinson Law community. He recounted losing his cat during his 1L orientation and desperately messaging his new classmates for help. Suddenly, he was receiving offers of assistance and alerts of possible cat sightings from dozens of unfamiliar numbers. “Twenty different students helped me find my cat,” said Hanson. “Our law school community is one of the best law school communities there is, and it is the people who make it great.”
Associate Dean for Administration Laura Williams '90 then led students in the honor code oath and professionalism pledge, when students promise to exhibit integrity, accountability, and dedication to service.
An accomplished and impressive Class of 2027
As of data gathered August 22, the Penn State Dickinson Law J.D. Class of 2027 comprises just under 110 students, slightly higher than the previous year’s incoming class. This increase was intentional, as Carlisle has been designated as the primary location under the upcoming reunification of Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State Law.
The incoming class increased reportable undergraduate GPA percentiles at every level, reaching the highest 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the past five cycles. LSAT percentiles remained in the same range as the past five cycles. Almost a third of the Class of 2027 are first-generation college students.
Yet this class, more than a third of whom are students of color and nearly a third of whom identify as LGBTQ+, is defined by more than good grades and high test scores. Before arriving at Penn State Dickinson Law, one student launched a podcast and another played tennis competitively. One started a business offering concierge notary services, and another founded an international humanitarian nonprofit to support girls in rural areas. Their hobbies range from quilting to playing violin to lifting weights. Their interests and passions dovetail with their desire to uphold the rule of law. They are driven and sharp.
JJ Rodriguez, a 1L from Miami who attended Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, as an undergraduate, became a real estate agent in his sophomore year of college. He said he saw sales work as a stepping stone to developing the interpersonal skills attorneys need when representing clients. “Keeping your relationships personal and knowing your client are very important in real estate and the law,” said Rodriguez. “You also need to have a big network as a lawyer, just as in real estate.”
Rodriguez followed two aunts and an uncle into the study of law. Before classes began on August 26, he had already called his uncle, a judge on the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida, to clarify the definition of impleading.
Fellow 1L Taylor Banks incorporated one of her favorite pastimes, martial arts, into her personal statement for her Penn State Dickinson Law application. A second-degree black belt, she has competed in taekwondo since age five and also serves as an instructor. In her statement, she discussed the need for staying balanced and grounded while avoiding overexertion and how that can apply to martial arts and the law. “If your approach to forms, a flowing series of martial arts self-defense techniques, is not perfect at every step, if it is not intentional at every step, then it is not going to look good in martial arts,” said Banks. “And if you are not intentional and precise as a litigator, which is something I am interested in, you will lose the case. You will not convince anyone of anything.”
By the first day of classes, Banks had already joined the Native American Law Student Association (NALSA) and Black Law Students Association (BLSA), which she learned about during orientation. The Susquehanna University graduate and Harrisburg native said she took to heart advice given by an orientation panel made up of 2Ls and 3Ls. “They said, ‘Do not compare yourself to other people while you are here.’ And that is beautiful. You will be fine if you move at your own pace,” said Banks.
Giving back: 2Ls and 3Ls make time to assist with orientation
The Office of Student Services organized orientation activities providing practical information to help students thrive during the sometimes-overwhelming start to the new year. SBA Treasurer A.J. Fink ’26, who handed out name tags to new students and co-led an allyship lunch, said the Student Services team did a fantastic job adjusting activities based on feedback from his class. He was particularly impressed by the student panel Banks mentioned, which featured five students sharing insights from their first years.
“The honesty and authenticity of the student panel was one of the biggest improvements from last year. The students offered a realistic representation of the average experience here,” said Fink, who served six years as an active-duty artillery officer in the 82nd Airborne Division and 17th Field Artillery Brigade before enrolling in Penn State Dickinson Law as a member of the Army’s Funded Legal Education Program. “Assistant Dean for Academic and Student Services Giselle Santibañez-Bania and Assistant Director of Student Services Kalene Faircloth listened to our feedback and presented a good overview for new students. I was very impressed by this year’s panel.”
Orientation also offered the J.D. Class of 2027 an opportunity to set forth their values as a class and take the traditional first-day photo on the steps of Trickett Hall. Students entering their second and third years enjoyed connecting with 1Ls and sharing their knowledge.
“I wanted to help the new students understand the class dynamic and how to take a step back and keep the bigger picture in place,” said Karla Kiefer ’26, a Latinx Law Student Association member, treasurer of the Women’s Law Caucus, and coordinator for the VITA Tax Clinic who assisted with several orientation activities. “There is nothing that can really prepare you for law school because it will challenge us all in our own unique ways. And what drew me here was that you can tell the people at Penn State Dickinson Law care about you. They want to hear you share your story.”
The J.D. Class of 2027 seems to agree. They felt welcomed and encouraged to start their own journeys.
“Everyone has been so nice. Faculty and staff go out of their way to make sure you feel welcome and know they are here for you, not for themselves,” said Rodriguez. “They want to send you out to change the world in three years.”
