As a correctional counselor, Alynna Wilson works in a prison by day and studies at Wilmington University School of Law by night. She hopes to become a prosecutor and appreciates having a mentor to guide and advise her.
“I developed an amazing relationship with my mentor. My mentor is the Honorable Judge Reneta Green-Streett of Superior Court in Kent County,” Wilson says. “She really took me under her wing and is teaching me everything I need to know to become a successful attorney.”
Year-Long Mentorship
WilmU Law welcomed its inaugural class in August 2023 and matched each student with a volunteer mentor from the Delaware legal community. At the end of the school year, they gathered to share stories and celebrate achievements.
“The mentors were involved and interested in making the program a success,” says Kimberly Gattuso, JD, the associate dean for experiential learning. “I think the students were sponges and eager to learn more about not only their mentors but other students’ mentors.”
“It opened opportunities that you wouldn’t typically get just as a law student from the academic program.”
— Andrew Glover, JD candidate
The innovative law school’s mentorship program “underscores the importance and value of personal connection to the bar, to the bench but also to professionals in that field — and just how that can enhance an education,” says Heather S. Karns, MEd, MBA, the associate dean for career services.
Through networking events and one-on-one meetings, students expanded their legal experience beyond the classroom.
“It was very valuable for me,” says Andrew Glover, a JD candidate whose mentor invited him to attend a criminal hearing and take part in a mock trial as a juror and evaluator. “It opened opportunities that you wouldn’t typically get just as a law student from the academic program.”
School of Law mentors for 2023-24 included 10 sitting judges, a former judge and several skilled attorneys.
“The implementation of a mentorship program at the outset of the students’ legal education, in my opinion, was very forward-thinking,” says Christine O’Connor, a director at the Wilmington law firm Tybout, Redfearn & Pell. “Beyond completing the academic requirements for the practice of law, there is such an advantage to entering your new professional environment already having contacts within it.”
Summer Internships for Law Students
“Wilmington University School of Law’s mentor program demonstrates their commitment to connecting with, and contributing to, the Delaware legal community,” says Dwayne Bensing, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware. “I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know my mentee as she navigated the notorious 1L year — so much so that I was eager to offer her an opportunity to join the ACLU-DE this summer to work on the intersection of her passion (environmental justice) and the civil liberties work of our affiliate.”
His mentee, Hannah Goldston, gladly accepted the summer internship.
“Dwayne said he made it his mission to be the best mentor to me and help me out along the way,” Goldston says. “We just clicked, and I’m very happy about that.”
The program also led to a summer internship for Wilson, who says, “I feel like they couldn’t have paired me with a better mentor.”
Enjoy photos from WilmU Law’s end-of-year mentorship reception.
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