Meet the Ambassador: Maria Benvenuto

Name: Maria BenvenutoMaria B

Year: 1L (Class of 2018)

Undergraduate institution: Villanova University, Class of 2015, graduated magna cum laude

Experiences between college and law school: In my summer between my undergrad and law school I led a group of twenty high school students from the Baltimore School of the Arts on a Habitat for Humanity trip to Durham, North Carolina. I have participated in a number Habitat for Humanity trips throughout undergrad, and so, it was very rewarding to introduce such a commendable organization to future volunteers.

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Meet the Ambassador: Daniel Fishman

Name: Daniel FishmanDaniel Fishman

Year: 3L (Class of 2016)

Undergraduate institution: Washington University in St. Louis, Class of 2011, University Athletic Association All-Academic Team, Football (2007-2010).

Experiences between college and law school: For two years after college, I had a job in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, working on policy, legislation, and the state budget.

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Meet the Ambassador: Ryan Dougherty

Name: Ryan DoughertyRyan Dougherty

Year: 1L (Class of 2018)

Undergraduate institution: Georgetown University, Class of 2011, three-time BIG EAST All-Academic selection as a member of the Hoyas basketball team.

Experiences between college and law school: After college, I got my Master’s degree in Government at Georgetown, with a concentration in International Law and Global Security. While in grad school I was a volunteer assistant basketball coach at Georgetown. Afterwards, I worked for a consulting firm in Washington, DC, advising clients on national security issues in the defense, energy, public health, and transportation sectors.

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Meet the Ambassadors: Andrea Clavijo & Lydia Bugli

Boston College Law Ambassadors is a newly launched program designed to enhance the on-campus experience for every prospective student who visits BC Law. The Ambassadors are thirty students who lead campus tours, help out at Admitted Students Day, and serve as a resource for applicants and admitted students who are considering enrolling at BC Law.

In support of this role, each Ambassador will be profiled on the Impact blog over the course of the school year. If you are a prospective student and notice something about any of our Ambassadors that you’d like to discuss with him or her – whether it’s a shared alma mater, an interesting extracurricular, or an appealing summer job – do not hesitate to reach out. After all, that’s what we’re here for!

To begin this series, we start with the two students who developed and kickstarted the Ambassadors program: Andrea Clavijo and Lydia Bugli.

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On Campus: A Dialogue on Gun Rights & Gun Control (Audio)

As a 3L at BC Law, I am always impressed with our student body’s desire to engage each other on tough and important issues of law and society. Whether we are discussing matters of constitutional law, diversity and inclusion, corporate governance, criminal justice, health care, civil rights, or any number of issues, our student groups love to spark extracurricular debate and discussion.

One such group is the American Constitution Society, an organization dedicated to developing progressive leaders in the legal field. Yesterday, the BC Law chapter of the ACS hosted an event entitled “ACS: A Dialogue About Gun Control & Gun Rights” featuring Michael Ball ’18 and myself. This was a highly-structured dialogue that was intended to be educational, productive, and intellectually honest. Gun rights and gun policy are a sensitive issue, and our goal as a progressive student group was to make sure that we enter that policy sphere with as much education on the subject as possible.

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Making an Impact: the Power of Pro Bono

Editor’s Note: Earl Adams, Jr. is of Counsel with DLA Piper in Washington, DC and Baltimore. Prior to this position, Earl was Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. He has also served in several different positions of leadership within the BC Law Alumni Association, including his current position as Vice President of the Alumni Board. All of us at Impact are pleased to be able to host his guest blog post.

earl_adamsBefore joining my current law firm, I had the honor of serving for five years in Maryland state government as chief of staff to the Lt. Governor, and one of the things I enjoyed most about my job was the knowledge that my efforts benefited more than a precious few. This feeling gave me a true sense of work satisfaction. Among the many things that I learned and got out of my BC Law experience was an appreciation of the maxim, “to whom much is given, much will be required.” So, when I decided to leave public service and return to private practice, I was, to say the least, concerned that I might not find the same contentment in my new job. Said more precisely, I was concerned that my work on behalf of individual clients would not be as rewarding. As a result, when I arrived at my firm, I actively sought out opportunities to find socially impactful pro bono work. One particular engagement caught my attention because of the potential to changes the lives of the people involved.

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