Keni Anthony says she’s always wanted to attend a historically Black university. “Ever since I was little, watching my auntie walk across the stage at Savannah State, I knew from that age that that would be me,” she says.
Diversity in Law
Amena Kheshtchin-Kamel has always been good at telling stories. As a first-generation American, she says she was always drawn to “expressing my voice, and also helping others find their voices.” That was part of what led her to pursue a legal education, and while the kind of storytelling she’s doing now might surprise you, it’s a reminder that a law degree can open doors just about anywhere.
Victoria Esparza saw her life upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a senior studying political science and Spanish at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Esparza hoped to enter law school the fall after graduation. But financial hardships related to the pandemic, and needing to care for her younger sister while their mother worked, forced her to delay her plans.
Starr Gibens, a third-year student at North Carolina State University, was interested in a legal education before she attended an online Prelaw Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. After attending, though, she had no doubt law was in her future.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year’s observance of this important event is particularly special: It’s the 75th such observance, and it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. At LSAC, we’re committed to helping people from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, pursue their dreams of legal education and add their diverse voices to our justice system.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted higher education in an unprecedented way, and one aspect of that disruption is that LGBTQIA+ law students, who already face unique challenges on their path to a career in law, are now finding it harder to connect with other members of their community. How can we reimagine the idea of “community” during this time of upheaval and health concerns?
On a recent installment of the Law School Admission Council’s Justice Hour, a series of webinars focusing on advancing equity and inclusion in the legal profession, we were honored to host Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Dean Chemerinsky — a national expert on issues of constitutional law, federal practice, appellate litigation, civil rights and civil liberties, and criminal procedure — joined us to discuss two recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court that affect legal education and important aspects of Americans’ lives.
The killing of George Floyd affected me strongly in two distinct ways: it conjured up traumatic memories of the many experiences I had as a black man growing up in the United States and it inspired me to reflect on my commitment to legal justice, my interest in legal education, and my work with the Law School Admission Council.
June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month, a yearly celebration recognizing the profound impact that LGBTQ+ individuals have had on history, art, politics, and culture. This year is particularly significant.
LSAC and the Minority Network recently hosted a webinar, which I moderated, aimed at offering updates, strategies, and coping techniques for addressing diversity issues during the COVID-19 crisis.