What is your name, year in school, and post-grad plans?

My name is Abigail King and I am a 2L. I will be a summer associate at WilmerHale’s New York City office in 2023.

Can you give me a quick rundown of what the Jewish Law Students Association is all about?

As the only Jewish organization at BC Law, JLSA seeks to provide a supportive social network for Jewish students on campus. It is our goal to make sure that every Jewish student feels welcome at BC, no matter their denomination. To do that, we host Jewish holiday gatherings and heavily emphasize networking opportunities, professional development, and academic support. 

Why did you choose to lead JLSA?

It has always been important to me to be a part of a strong Jewish community. Entering BC as a 1L, I was unsure whether such a community existed at a Jesuit school. Luckily, JLSA proved me wrong. Through my involvement with JLSA as a 1L Section Representative, I became adamant about expanding JLSA’s presence on campus and seeing our Jewish community thrive. Our Board is working towards these goals by hosting more events, increasing engagement, and growing our membership.

What is your favorite JLSA event?

My favorite JLSA event was attending a Celtics game in October 2021! It was a great opportunity for us to do something different and get the group together off-campus. I am excited that we will again be offering Celtics tickets this season!

What have been some difficulties in leading JLSA, and how did you overcome them?

One difficulty I’ve encountered is that some Jewish students are unaware that JLSA exists, or they have a misconception that JLSA only offers religious programming. We plan to overcome this by expanding our presence on campus and ensuring that our events cater to all Jewish sects.

What have you learned from being a student leader, and do you recommend other law students to take up that mantle?

I absolutely recommend law students become student leaders. Much of the work of student organizations is to acclimate 1Ls to campus and create social opportunities to ease their transition to law school. It is an incredibly rewarding experience to help foster that by cultivating the Jewish community here. 

Do you have any members you want to give a shout out to?

I’d like to shout out my Executive Board: Moshe Cohen Benguigui, Hannah Flaherty, Allison Plotnik, Sam Gastelum, and Seth Manilove — their contributions have been invaluable and it’s been a blast to work with them.

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Seung Hye (Shang) Yang is a second-year student at BC Law. Contact her at yangben@bc.edu.