One group of incoming students joined Assistant Director of Career Services Alecia Bencze ‘15 (far left), Associate Law Librarian Sarah Starnes (third from the left) and Associate Dean of the Library Kerry Lohmeier (far right) for a morning hike at the F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm on the first day of Orientation.
The University of Akron School of Law welcomed 142 members of the 2022 juris doctor entering class during Orientation Week, August 16-19. The class includes 137 first-year students, five two-year international students, and three students who transferred to Akron Law to complete their degrees. Thirty of the incoming students are in the part-time program.
The students are almost equally split between men and women. They range in age from 19 to 48 with an average age of 27. They attended 59 different undergraduate colleges. Ninety-three are from Ohio. The others come from Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington D.C., Argentina, Canada, Ghana, India, Korea and the United Kingdom.
The 101 first-year students starting this fall join 32 additional students who started classes in January and four who started in May. Seven of the incoming J.D. class came via the School’s 3 + 3 program, which means they completed their undergraduate years at one of Akron Law’s partner institutions and will now earn both a bachelor and J.D. degree in six years. The School also welcomed seven Master of Studies in Law (MSL) students, four of whom started in the spring.
The Honorable Betty Sutton '90 of the Ninth District Court of Appeals administered the Oath of Professionalism at the welcome reception.
Getting to know you
Orientation Week—aka Roo Law Welcome Week—was a combination of get-acquainted activities during the day with panel discussions, presentations and a welcome reception in the evenings. On the last day of the week, the students observed Akron Law’s Summer Trial Academy, with some serving as jurors and witnesses in the mock trials.
The daytime activities gave the students a chance to get to know their new classmates and the law school faculty, staff and administration in casual, mostly small-group settings. Options included a hike in one of the Metroparks, a run on the Towpath Trail, hitting balls at a driving range, and fresh, hot beignets and morning coffee on a professor’s front porch.
At the welcome reception at InfoCision Stadium, the Honorable Betty Sutton '90 of the Ninth District Court of Appeals administered the Oath of Professionalism to the incoming class, and Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen addressed the students and their families.
Incoming fall 2022 1L William Huff participated in the Summer Trial Academy alongside 3L Tamara Brooks.
Getting to know them
No one knows the incoming class better than Associate Dean for Enrollment Management Barbara DiGiacomo. She’s reviewed every application file and spent time with most of the students on the phone, in emails and in person.
“This class is a talented, interesting and accomplished group,” she said. “They come from a wide range of career backgrounds and experiences. Some are mothers and fathers. Some are business owners, court-appointed special advocates, marathon runners, dancers, and college athletes. Three have military experience. Many are the first in their family to graduate from high school and college, and a vast majority are the first in their family to attend law school.”
She continued, “The most common element I believe they share is a strong desire to use their law degrees to help people and make our world a better place. And that is exactly what the Akron Law community is about. Here they can spread their wings, make their mark and fulfill their dreams.”