Before she declared the Law major offered by Drexel’s Kline School of Law, Taniyah Spencer knew that she was interested in law, but didn’t know if the field fit her.

“I have a naturally shy personality, and when I think of being an attorney that’s not a combination that meshes well together.”

After a few undergraduate Law classes though, she realized that she did have what it takes to practice law. Specifically, in her Courtroom Advocacy course, Professor Gwen Stern encouraged her to speak out.

“[The faculty] want you to interrupt them and talk back and defend your points, so I’ve gotten a lot better at that since coming here.”

Experiential learning didn't only apply to the classroom though.

Taniyah attended courthouse hearings where she saw how what she was learning in the classroom was also applicable to the real world. On top of that, in Courtroom Advocacy she practiced skills like using rules of evidence when Prof. Stern invited a highly experienced litigator to go back and forth with students as if they were in a real trial.

"It’s incredibly terrifying, but it’s a great experience because you feel a lot more confident … even talking about things in day-to-day life or explaining things to interviewers for co-ops.”

As it turns out, Taniyah was right. Her classes and the hands-on skills she developed in them helped her land a co-op with Morgan Lewis, a prestigious law firm that has been practicing in Philadelphia since 1873.

“I was screaming off the walls. I called my parents and told them it felt like the best Christmas gift ever.… It felt like a moment where I could look back and say, ‘I did it. I found something I wanted, I went after it, and I got it.’”