One of the neatest things about a small school like the University of Chicago Law School is that you become a part of a really close-knit and friendly alumni network. Case in point is the alumni networking that 1L women enjoy through the Women’s Mentoring Program. The Women’s Mentoring Program matches 1L women with female alums who act as mentors during 1L year and beyond. We just had the Women’s Mentoring Reception last week, and it took me back to my law school days when I attended the same reception as a 1L. My memories of that event are so great – not only because my mentor was a really neat woman, but because the reception was such a cool bonding experience for the women in my class. Here’s what 2L and Women’s Mentoring Program co-chair Sara Feinstein has to say about it:
"One of my favorite organizations at the University of Chicago is the Women's Mentoring Program (‘WMP’). Upon my entry as a 1L, I joined the program and was given a chance to meet a mentor. She was a fantastic woman – bright, talented, outgoing, and of course a U of C grad – and through speaking with her about balancing concerns between life at a big firm and her family, I developed a good sense of what challenges I may face in the years ahead. This year, as a co-chair (along with 2L Ebba Gebisa, 3L Valerie Lynch, and 3L Darah Smith), I am thrilled that the 1L women have an opportunity to discuss real life concerns with a talented mentor from the Chicago legal community. What further impressed me is that some of these women – though swamped with work (whether firm or public interest group generated), in addition to family or other commitments – give so selflessly of their time to mentor the first year women. Mentors seem happy to discuss the challenges of work, but glow when asked questions about former U of C professors or classmates. Through my experience in WMP, I have been fortunate to meet and learn so much from my own mentor, but as a co-chair it has been thrilling to see how much the other mentors give of themselves purely out of a love for their law school, and how much this year's first year women can gain through this relationship."
