Seven 2017 Alums Heading to Law School
8 March 2018 Seven 2017 Alums Heading to Law School
In the fall, seven Hobart and William Smith graduates from the Classes of 2017 will begin the next stage of their academic careers at top law schools along the east coast from New York to Charleston.
Emily Aziz 17 and Thomas Clifford 17 will attend Syracuse University College of Law, while Lindsey Enchelmaier 17 will begin her course of study at New York Law School, Gabrielle Grimmett 17 at Charleston School of Law, Daniel Klementowski 17 at Villanova University School of Law, Nicholas Testani 17 at Albany Law School and Joseph Vertoske 17 at Brooklyn Law School.
HWS students interested in legal careers explore the Colleges liberal arts curriculum while working with faculty members, pre-law advisers and HWS Career Network volunteers. Pre-law students receive extensive counseling throughout their undergraduate years to help them develop the skills and knowledge for the law school application process, law school itself and the career opportunities that follow.
Clifford, who graduated cum laude in public policy, notes his experience completing an independent studyon gun violencewith Professor of Public Policy Craig Rimmerman exposed the value that the law could potentially have on ameliorating critical social issues.
Through his internships with the Oneida County Criminal Court Judge and the Oneida County District Attorneys Office, he had the opportunity to
observe court proceedings and review court-related documents. While his interests may expand beyond that facet of the legal field, Clifford says these internships provided a great learning experience for me and reinforced by desire to go to law school.
With a background in Asian studies and mathematics, and bolstered by the robust course offerings of the pre-law program and community service work through Geneva Heroes, Grimmett sees these overlapping interests coming together in public service. With plans to pursue a career in international law in the federal government, Grimmet says she also hopes for the opportunity to have a legal career that will allow me to travel and see the world. As a student, Grimmett held two internships with the U.S. Secret Service over the summer in their Brooklyn, N.Y field office.
For Vertoske, a political science major, his experiences with HWS clubs and organizations outside the classroom had as big an impact as his coursework.
I love and cherish the four years that I had at HWS, Vertoske says. HWS gave me a lot more than just classroom knowledge and I am excited to use the tools that it has provided me in my next life steps.