students

Meet the Affinity Group Leaders: Moussa Hassoun (Lambda Co-Chair)

/ Marx P. Calderon / Leave a comment

This new “Meet the” series introduces you to the diverse affinity student group leaders on campus. 

Name: Moussa Hassoun

Year: 2017 (2L)IMG_6036

Organization & Position:

Lambda: Co-Chair

Undergraduate Institution:

Bentley University

Experiences between college and law school: 

I went straight through from Bentley to BC Law. In between I worked for Liberty Mutual as a Product Analyst. 

Favorite event that your organization plans: 

The Lambda Annual Retreat is a special one. Students get away from the chaos of law school and get a chance to relax and get to know one another. Relaxation is one of the most undervalued needs all students should make time for. The retreat provides that opportunity and allows LGBTQ+ students to develop a community at the law school.

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Things You Wish You Had Gone To: The John and Abigail Adams Benefit

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

I have the honor of hosting a guest blog from Caroline Reilly, a 1L in the class of 2018 at BC. Caroline is a former journalism major who plans to go into public interest work/human rights/womens rights, and is one of the many 1Ls this year that made the awesome decision to attend the John and Abigail Adams “Night at the Museum” event sponsored by the Boston Bar this past weekend. For more information about Caroline’s experience at the event, as a BC Law student, or just in general, you can get in touch with her at reillycw@bc.edu. 

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The “Night at the Museum” movies are some of my favorite feel-good flicks. I love the idea of sleuthing around the museum (easily one of my favorite places any time of day) after-hours when the general public has retreated and the art is in a more rarely- and exclusively-seen state. So, when one of my friends forwarded the email promoting the John & Abigail Adams Benefit to members of our little “law school family,” I jumped on the opportunity, despite my habitual insistence on indulging my homebody inclinations on weekends.

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 14: New semester resolutions you should have (and ones you shouldn’t)

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

Happy almost new year!

I find that this time of year, people generally fall into one of two buckets: what I like to call the Calvins of the world…

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…and those of us who resolutely (heh) make a list of things about ourselves that we would like to change. If you’re anything like me growing up, you make your list feeling great about it  every December, then come February, you kind of feel the way you do when you’ve napped for too long: disoriented, vaguely angry, and wondering what the heck happened to you.

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

/ Sajid Shahriar / Leave a comment

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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Yes, We Go to School Sponsored Social Events: Boat Cruise

/ Maria Colella / Leave a comment

When I was researching where to go to law school, many online resources referred to Boston College Law School as the “Disney World of Law Schools.” What does that mean? I remember thinking. In general, BC Law was known (in the cyber world at least) for having students who are nice to each other. I figured, if it’s the Disney World of Law Schools, maybe it will be kind of… fun?

To my elation, the analogy is apt. BC Law is fun. One of my favorite parts of BC from the beginning has been that the School, usually through the Law Students Association, throws social events. And, more importantly, people actually go to them.

1L: Boat Cruise 2014

I was having a conversation with a fellow 2L last week. “I was talking to some of the 1Ls and they asked, what’s the big deal with this Boat Cruise? Do people actually go to that? And I said: Yes! Everyone goes.” The line for tickets on the last day was at least 50 people long.

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Remember “The Why”: A Letter from the Alumni Board President

/ Rob Rossi / 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: Kevin Curtin is the Boston College Law School Alumni Board President and a member of the BC Law Class of ’88. He is Senior Appellate Counsel/Grand Jury Director at the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. He has tried approximately 100 jury cases and handled over 100 criminal appeals. Mr. Curtin is also an instructor in the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop and a faculty member of the national trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is also an adjunct faculty member at BC Law. All of us at Impact are pleased to be able to host his guest blog post.

Commencement is a time for remembering why you chose to become a lawyer. That idea was reflected in the remarks of this year’s Commencement speaker, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach David Simas, BC Law ‘95. Dean Vincent Rougeau talked about it. It was also mentioned by Class President Lainey Sullivan ’15 (who recently committed to join the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian T. Ryan ’79).

Coincidence? Maybe.

But what about this? Dean Rougeau, University President Father William P. Leahy, David Simas and Lainey Sullivan also spoke about something else: the idea of a tradition shared in common with those who have come before them. Something that makes Boston College Law School special—an essential bond that cannot be seen, but which is continuously affirmed as true.

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Things I Wish I Knew, Vol. 8: The best way to prepare for law school this summer

/ Charlene Ochogo / Leave a comment

…is to not prepare at all.

Dear Class of 2018, you have struggled through the undergraduate battleground, you finished a post-bachelor degree, or maybe you’ve summoned the courage to work AND apply to law school, and you’re positively ravenous for any advice on how to best prepare yourself for what lies ahead of you.

I have only three words for you: Treat. Yo. Self.

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For those of you unfamiliar with NBC’s Parks and Recreation, no worries – you have the entire summer with which to make yourself familiar. But for old fans of Donna Meagle and Tom Haverford, Treat Yo’ Self 2015 (aka, now until right around August 20th) should be spent on you.

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My Thank You Letter to BC Law: Looking Back On The Past Three Years

/ Luciabc / Leave a comment

It was about three years ago now that I was making my decision as to where to attend law school. It was a tough decision for me, as I am sure it is for most people. Even though I knew which school was the best fit for me, I was stressed out about turning down bigger scholarships elsewhere. Every time I went to send in my deposit, I started to second guess my decision.

It is a very personal decision to choose where you’ll spend the next few years of your life. Looking back now, I feel so grateful that I chose Boston College, and I feel lucky to have a mother like mine, who encouraged me to go with my gut in choosing BC. Last week I finished up my academic career here, and I am already starting to feel nostalgic for the community of friends and mentors I have found at Boston College Law School. Here, more than anywhere else, I have found a school where professors keep in touch with their former students, where administrators go out of their way to share opportunities with students, and where the group of classmates you find end up feeling like family after three years of going through life’s ups and downs together.

The first, and most important group, that deserves thanks is the BC Law student body. I made my first, and closest friends in Section 3, but as the years progressed I have gotten to know an amazingly diverse, passionate, friendly group of my classmates. These people have studied with me during exams, passed along their carefully formatted outlines, and accompanied me on all sorts of misadventures over the past three years. Especially when I compare my experience to those of my friends at other schools, I feel so fortunate to have found such a stellar group of people to spend the past three years with. On a broader scale, our student government, the Public Interest Law Foundation, and the myriad affinity groups here at BC have truly excelled at making Boston College a welcoming, fun, and engaging place to be a student.

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