Meet some Champlain Law students & alumni!

I got to work with Professor Stephen Miller on his Champlain Prison Law Initiative, where students go into Vermont prisons and teach legal education courses to incarcerated individuals. I helped teach an evidence course and a more general intro to law course, both of which helped me grow my own knowledge base by preparing to teach, as well as gave me a perspective into prisons in Vermont. Meeting incarcerated individuals helped me humanize and conceptualize the overarching realization that people in prison are the same as any of us. They may have made one mistake, and while it might have been a really bad mistake, they still deserve support, empathy, friendship, and love.

I've worked on campus for the Admissions Office as a Student Ambassador since my second year. Through that job, I've become better at speaking on behalf of the causes I represent. I've become more aware of how marketing works and how the inner workings of colleges can function. I've also met numerous people that have become my friends for life, and I can't imagine who I'd be without their influence.


I also worked for the Student Government Association for three of my four years at Champlain. I served as a First-Year Representative and a Representative for the Division of Education and Human Studies. Both of these positions helped me grow in terms of how I interact with other representatives and do what I think is best for the students I represent.

The Upside-Down Curriculum is around 60 percent of what drew me to Champlain. I truly don't understand how other schools can possibly justify not allowing you to know if the major you choose is a mistake or not until it's nearly too late to change. I personally was very lucky to choose correctly, but I've had friends switch majors once or twice to find things that they have a genuine passion for and can pursue careers in.

I have really enjoyed the immersive aspect of my law classes. We regularly read and annotate cases or write legal briefs, just as we would in a true practice. But it's the near-acting experiences that mean the most. Having worked on a case all semester in the newly formed Appellate Advocacy class, everyone was instructed to do all of the research, create a brief, and perform an oral argument to a panel of judges (other law professors) as if we were presenting to the Supreme Court. Assignments like this occur in all divisions, as there is such an emphasis on exposing students to the realities and logistics of their chosen fields. It makes the future less scary in the sense that now I have a stronger grasp on how to conduct myself in similar situations.

The Upside-Down Curriculum, for me, is the most beneficial part of the Champlain College experience. Being able to work toward my goals every single day since I have started college has only heightened my drive. I now have a much better idea of what being a law student or lawyer entails. There is always an idealized version of whatever dream job you have, and the Upside-Down Curriculum grounds that, while still maintaining the love for the subject you have when entering college.

I participated in the Elevator Pitch competition on campus two years in a row, and this year I won first place in my category. My major focuses a lot on research, preparation, and composure—all of which allowed me to prepare and perform stronger each time I participated in the competition.

I chose Law because I was not sure what I wanted my career to be, but I saw Law as an option that would open many doors. I knew I wanted to make a difference, and I had—and still have—a lot of areas of interest, from women's rights to criminal justice reform. An undergraduate degree in Law would prepare me for many different career options.

In my second year, I took two Core classes with a focus on West African religion and art. At the end of the semester, we got the opportunity to travel to Zanzibar, an archipelago outside of Tanzania. We were able to really appreciate the history we'd been learning about. The best outcome of that trip was the creation of Techdren, a Champlain student-led nonprofit that returns regularly to Zanzibar to distribute technology to local schools.

I started playing rugby with the Women's Rugby team and knew little about the sport, but I quickly fell in love with it. I missed being on a team sport and instantly found a family in rugby. I became treasurer and helped to raise $2,000 for the men's and women's teams. Now I'm a team captain, and I look forward to playing rugby after college, too.

I chose Champlain because their Law program is so different from any other school. They don't water down the material and make you wait to learn. The Champlain faculty are outstanding—they've all been to law school and actually care if you succeed.

The Academic Coaching centers are very useful. I didn't expect to get so much help, but the tutors there know what they're doing. I would not have passed Statistics without the Math Lab.

My professors have improved my professional manner, and this program prepares you for law school like no other. For example, writing memorandums in Tony Perriello's Legal Research & Writing class was extremely useful. They gave me a lot of experience in writing technically and conducting research for a specific hypothetical.