Harvard Law School's Future Leaders in Law Program, in partnership with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (Paul, Weiss), is designed to elevate, inspire, empower, and impact the lives of each program participant and the legal profession by focusing on early talent generation and igniting excitement about law as a career path. 

The Future Leaders in Law Program will bring together individuals with a range of lived experiences, primarily individuals from first-generation and less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, for a weeklong residential fellowship at Harvard Law School (HLS) to help prepare them to apply for admission to law schools around the nation. While on campus, Future Leaders in Law Fellows (Fellows) will engage with HLS faculty, staff, students, and alumni. During this weeklong residency and over the course of the yearlong program, participants will benefit from test and application preparation services, mentorship and networking opportunities, field trips, as well as academic and professional skill-building elements. 

 This program will be fully funded, with all costs covered to participate, including transportation and lodging, and preparation materials.  We will provide need-based assistance for law school application fees and LSAC's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) reports, and the LSAT administration.  In addition, a $3,000 stipend will be awarded upon program completion. 

Applicants for the Future Leaders in Law Program must: 

• Be in pursuit of an undergraduate degree with an expected graduation date of 2024 or 2025 OR be a recent graduate (Class of 2021, Class of 2022, and Class of 2023).  
• Have a 3.3 cumulative undergraduate GPA.
• Intend to apply for a J.D. program for matriculation starting Fall 2026.   
• Be at least 18 years old as of the program start date.  
• Commit to attending and participating in all core program components.  

All majors are encouraged to apply! 

Application Deadline:  April 7, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. EDT

Click here for more information!

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By Lisa Traiger

Misty Copeland is a ballerina on a mission—and last week she brought that mission to UMBC. Renowned for both her ethereality and powerful muscularity, as well as her activism in diversifying a white-dominant field, in 2015 Copeland became the first Black woman promoted to principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, a top U.S. ballet company. And she continues to break down barriers to democratize this art form born of European privilege and monarchy.

On March 6, Copeland spent a day on campus—meeting with dance majors in the Dance Cube, speaking one-on-one with alumni and young dancers at a reception, watching student dancers perform, and participating in UMBC’s first annual Artful Conversations, a public Q&A in Linehan Concert Hall.

“You are my people,” the lithe dancer in smart slacks and stilettos told about 35 UMBC dance students and prospective students in an afternoon session. “I came into the ballet world at a late age—13,” she said, recalling her first ballet classes sponsored by a YMCA Boys and Girls Club in a gymnasium. She wore socks and shorts and had never heard classical music before. What she initially described as a “weird” experience, soon became an epiphany. “I felt so free… I was very shy. I didn’t have the tools or the confidence to say everything I wanted to say at 13, but I realized this might be the last time I had this chance,” said Copeland. “So I always took advantage of every opportunity I’ve been given.” And through ballet, she found her voice—and purpose.

Breaking ballet’s glass ceiling 

Raised by a single mother, she and her five siblings were sometimes “house-less,” as Copeland described it. The ballet studio “was the first time I felt physically protected in a space and I could be naked and vulnerable,” Copeland said. “That’s the feeling we should all have: what it’s like to be in a space of freedom and creativity and no judgment.” These days through her eponymous charitable foundation, Copeland supports programs that provide funding and classes that break ballet’s glass ceiling through diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.

Victoria Davies, a junior dance major and Linehan Artist Scholar, performed in “Boundless” by faculty member Shaness D. Kemp, one of three modern works dance students shared with Copeland and attendees during the early evening public event in the sold-out Linehan Concert Hall. “For me,” Davies said, “to see another person of color who has been very successful in her dance career and hear about all the things she went through, hopefully I can get to that point in my own career.”

Left: Capstone work by dance major Eva Mclaughlin, “Episodic Abrasion” (dancers: Sarah McHale, Cassidy Cipolla-Milchak, Ria Murphy, Katelyn O’Connor, Gwyneth Watson). Right: “Boundless” (2022) repertory work by Assistant Professor Shaness D. Kemp (dancers: India Blake, Victoria Davies, Sophia Papparotto.) (Marlayna Demond ’11/UMBC)

First-year dance major Ashley Baer said that learning more about Copeland “makes everything so much more real. She has been so influential to so many. As dancers, it’s so amazing to be able to hear her perspectives on performing and life.” Baer shared a quote she jotted down from Copeland’s talk: “’Continue to explore life and live your life…. As dancers we get so caught up in our training and we need to continue to live life.’” 

Ask for the roles you want

Students asked Copeland about her challenges, transitioning from student to professional, taking care of her body, work-life balance, and dealing with microaggressions as one of the few Black women at the top of the ballet company hierarchy. She was frank, yet gracious, in her responses, noting she moved to New York the day after graduating from high school and it took her about five years to understand the complexity of rehearsal and casting schedules. “Having a support system has always been key,” she advised. “You need people you can turn to. This [career] takes a lot out of you, physically, mentally, emotionally.”

One lesson she learned from her close friend and mentor, the late African American ballet dancer Raven Wilkinson: Do not be afraid to ask for roles you want. Copeland desired a specific role, but had never been cast. With Wilkinson’s encouragement, she approached American Ballet Theatre artistic director Kevin McKenzie and asked. His response: “Oh, I thought you had danced that role.” Then she was cast. She noted: “As a woman, as a dancer with a Black body…it felt like [my success] was this collective effort of all my ancestors. It never felt like my accomplishment singularly.”

While Copeland hasn’t been back in the studio since the birth of her son two years ago, she remains active on other fronts: as an author of now six books for children, teens, and adults, and as designer of her own line of athleisure wear, Greatness Wins, in collaboration with athlete Derek Jeter. As well, she acknowledges the ongoing importance of being a ballet dancer.

Stars aren’t made overnight

According to College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Dean Kimberly Moffitt, who moderated the public Q&A, Copeland proved the perfect choice to inaugurate Artful Conversations, which will invite a high-profile creative to campus annually. “First and foremost, I want my dance students 10 years from now to say, ‘I had the chance to interact with Misty directly,’” Moffitt said. “That’s a special moment from their academic experience here at UMBC.” She continued, “And other students who are drawn to attend will learn something really interesting about Misty’s trajectory to becoming not just another ballerina. She has a really interesting story to tell. Often, we believe that these [stars] are overnight successes. We forget how much work, effort, and energy individuals put into making it.” 

Introducing Copeland, Dawn Moore, first lady of Maryland and an advocate for the arts across the state, said, “We have gathered to celebrate the power of dance to inspire and unite…[because] dance nurtures compassion, contemplation, and healing.”

And Copeland left the dance students of all ages with this message: “As a dancer, it’s so easy to get caught up in the minutiae of daily battles, and a lot of those are within ourselves. Every day, it’s important to remind yourself why you’re doing this. I love being on stage—it’s where I feel the most free. It’s liberating. You need to remind yourself of the things that matter to you.”

Learn more about UMBC’s dance and Linehan Artist Scholars programs.

Liang Zhu (Mechanical Engineering) was selected as a recipient of the 2024 University System of Maryland Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring, the highest honor that the Board of Regents bestows to recognize exemplary faculty achievement. Congratulations, Liang! 
As an internationally recognized expert in biotransport, Dr. Zhu has successfully established and sustained an extramurally funded research program in heat and mass transfer in biomedical systems. In 2015, Dr. Zhu was elected as a fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a rare honor reserved only for the most influential mechanical engineers. As a mentor with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, Dr. Zhu has been a defining factor in the success of students and junior faculty at UMBC. 
Retention in engineering has been a nationwide challenge in higher education, especially for public institutions. To enhance retention and graduation for undergraduate mechanical engineering students at UMBC, Dr. Zhu single-handedly established the ME S-STEM Scholars Program in 2010. The program uses evidence-based mentoring practices to enhance students’ research skills, self-efficacy, sense of belonging, and applied experience. In the past 13 years, the program has provided intensive mentoring and scholarships to 135 students from diverse backgrounds. The success of this program is unparalleled by every measure:

• 86% of the scholars were retained in mechanical engineering, which is 46% higher than students not in the scholarship program at UMBC, 
• 35% of the scholars moved on to pursue graduate STEM degrees, which is 25% higher than students not in the scholarship program at UMBC, 
• 65% of the scholars were employed in the industry, including top-notch employers like Applied Physics Laboratory and Northrop Grumman, and
• 100% of the scholars earned degrees in 4 or 4.5 years, which is significantly higher than the ASEE national benchmarks of 40% completion within four years and 65% within six years. 

Dr. Zhu is also an excellent mentor to graduate students and junior faculty at UMBC. Many of her graduate students have become leaders in industry and academia to conduct innovative work of societal significance. She has devoted a tremendous amount of her efforts to mentoring junior faculty within and outside of her home department. In addition to one-on-one mentoring, she leads campus-wide efforts in recruiting and advancing women and minority faculty. These efforts having been transforming the inclusive culture at UMBC and beyond.   
Congratulations again, Liang! You are an inspiration!