Scalia Law Promotes Career Paths for Diverse Students

For many 1L students — including those from diverse backgrounds — a job interview in a judge’s chambers or at an Am Law 100 firm is a big step. An initiative of the law school’s Career and Academic Services Office is making that step a little easier.

Now in its fourth year, Scalia Law’s Diversity Fridays guides diverse students to summer job opportunities while helping them prepare for interviews. Led by David Cho, assistant dean for career services and employer relations, the program consists of a series of weekly emails alerting 1L students about firms, judges, and public agencies offering employment and professional networking opportunities to diverse students. In addition, 1L students get advice from upper‐division peers on résumés, interviewing, and job expectations.

“Our program grew out of an initiative of the legal market at large and the ABA to increase diversity hiring,” Cho explained. “Instead of sending emails to students about these opportunities one at a time, we collect them and distribute them in one email every Friday.”

Cho added that any student who self‐identifies as diverse is invited to opt‐in to the weekly mailings and peer advising sessions. “Each year, we are seeing increasing numbers of students who take advantage of these opportunities,” he said.

If your organization would like to participate, contact Dean Cho at dcho21@gmu.edu.