A pair of new student organizations have been created at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center to support non-traditional and first-generation students.
The Older Wiser Law Students—or OWLS—student organization will provide a network for law students with unique life experiences, including those with families, spouses, prior careers, or other non-traditional backgrounds, said OWLS President Jaymie Wright.
“Our hope is to be a group for fellowship and support—academically and otherwise—and to have specific outreach during orientation for incoming students,” said Wright, a first-year law student. “We want to host group activities that include our families and reach out to our community of alumni for support and information about entering the workplace with our unique challenges, such as raising children or being older.”
Wright said she discovered OWLS chapters at law schools nationwide and recognized LSU Law’s need for an organization targeted toward non-traditional students like herself. Though the group is just getting started this semester, Wright said OWLS has already held regular informal lunch meetings and is planning some spring semester events, including a guest speaker and a family crawfish boil. The organization is open to all LSU Law students, regardless of traditional or non-traditional status, she emphasized.
In a parallel effort to support first-generation law students, the FirstGen Legal Society aims to ease first-generation students’ transition into law school by providing a supportive community and fostering personal and professional connections.
“I started the FirstGen Legal Society to help present and future first-generation students like me deal with integrating into law school and help them make friends who come from similar backgrounds,” said second-year law student FirstGen Legal Society President Hannah Hummel. “We want to foster cohesion and understanding between LSU Law’s student body and with lawyers in the Baton Rouge community.”
Hummel was inspired to create the organization during her first year at LSU Law, when she found the resources and support of first-gen students to be lacking. The FirstGen Legal Society includes three committees focusing on academics, professional development, and networking.
The organization plans to implement a mentorship program for first-year students, informational workshops and seminars, and professional networking events, Hummel said. Although designed with first-generation students in mind, Hummel said the FirstGen Legal Society welcomes generational law students to participate in events and forge new connections.
The new organizations join the more than 30 that support students at LSU Law. Prospective members interested in joining OWLS and the FirstGen Legal Society are encouraged to participate in the general meetings listed on the LSU Law calendar and stay tuned for upcoming spring events.
OWLS officers:
- President — Jaymie Mitchell Wright
- Treasurer/Fundraising Chair — Julio Barros
- Communications/Marketing Chair — Rachel Youngblood
- Academic Chair — Daniel Lockwood
- Career Chair — Danielle Patrice Payne
- Family Outreach Chair — Jennifer Clark
- 2L Rep — Danielle Patrice Payne
- 1L Rep — Chad Granger
- Faculty Advisor — Professor Tracy Norton
FirstGen Legal Society officers:
- President — Hannah Hummel
- Vice President — Victoria Louis
- Secretary/Treasurer — Emily Perez
- Academics Committee Head Chair — Tarnisa Capone
- Professional Development Committee Head Chair — Claire Padilla
- Networking Committee Head Chair — Brenden Carroll
- Faculty Advisors — Professors Summer Chandler and Heidi Thompson
