College students in the Kline School of Law’s Stephen and Sandra Sheller Diversity Pipeline Program gain a better understanding of how to apply to law school and thrive once there. The free, three-week experience includes workshops and classes, but the most valuable component of the program might be mentorship.

From the start participants are matched with a Kline professor, student, graduate or staff member whom they can call upon for guidance. “The program gave me a lifelong mentor that I can truly depend on, and I will always be grateful for that,” said incoming 1L Sharifa Rowe, who completed the pipeline program last summer, before her senior year at Lincoln University.

Rowe was paired with Desjeneé Davis, a rising 2L at the time. Becoming a mentor gave Davis a chance to provide the kind of insight and support she would have appreciated receiving while navigating the law school application process. She’s enjoyed seeing Rowe flourish since their introduction.

Witnessing Davis and Rowe’s reunion at one of Kline’s admitted student events was especially gratifying for Danielle Boardley, director of diversity, inclusion and student belonging. The bond that developed between the two exemplifies the type of connection Boardley intended to create through the pipeline program. “It was a very special moment,” she said.

This year’s program promises more rewarding connections. Yolanda Ingram, director of bar support and assistant teaching professor at Kline, said she volunteered to be a mentor because she’s a firm believer in paying it forward.

“So many others helped me along my journey to becoming an attorney,” said Ingram. “I am honored to have the opportunity to do the same for the others who are coming behind me. I believe in the adage ‘lifting while I climb,’ and it is the only way we will continue to see this country strive to attain the equality that we profess to have in our Constitution.”

Find out more about the 2020 Stephen and Sandra Sheller Diversity Pipeline Program here.