First-year law student Asha Wedemeier-Allen has accumulated more accolades than one can count. The Dean's Merit Scholarship recipient is characteristically driven and forward-looking, facing the notoriously immense pressures of law school with impressive optimism and unwavering self-assurance.
She graduated from the University of Miami last year with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and a minor in business law. She was also a Ronald A. Hammond Scholarship recipient and involved in a diverse set of activities, including the Inspire U Mentorship Program, the University Disciplinary Hearing Panel, the University of Miami Voter Registration Ambassadorship, First-Generation U, and the Caribbean Students Association.
"I've always known I wanted to attend Miami Law," she said. "I got acquainted with different aspects of the law through law firm internships in the summers. Being awarded the Dean's Merit Scholarship has given me the comfortability to navigate law school without the financial burden.”
Engaging with Multiple Student Organizations
"UM's School of Law has a multitude of clubs that, regardless of what passions you have, you can pursue them. There are so many different associations here," she says.
"For me, I'm in the Black Law Students Association…Only 2% of attorneys are Black women, so being part of this association has allowed me to meet people who are paying it forward and have been successful. It has truly been an incredible experience; it is empowering also — this notion of expanding the legal pipeline and making it more accessible.
“I am also in the First-Generation Law Students Association and the Business Law Society. The Business Law Society has allowed me to get more acquainted with the professional realm and familiarize myself with the intersectional relationship between law and business. It has also helped me focus my interests as I am still figuring out what area of the law I ultimately want to pursue,” she said.
The Challenges in Law School
Her most significant hurdle in law school thus far? "Having to relearn my approach to studying. In undergrad, we were typically tested on memorization. Law school emphasizes application: it deals a lot with applying broadened themes about the law and making meaningful insights on how we can change and evolve with the changing legal conditions of tomorrow. So, law school really expanded my perspective when approaching an issue. The lens through which I view everything is so much broader, but it is also narrower in some respects. There's a lot of dualities — a lot of multidimensionality. There is never one right answer."
Despite it being an inevitably tough transition, however, the highly impressive 1L is more enthusiastic than anything. "As a law student, you get to leverage innovation with case law and precedent and apply it in various ways."
Wedemeier-Allen says that she deals with the mounting pressures of law school by maintaining a solid support system. "I've been dealing with it through the support of classmates, my family, and the support of the Career Development Office. I'm currently in the process of applying to internships, and they have helped guide me through the process from the top-down."
She adds the student organizations have also helped, “as a first-generation college and law student, [the Black Law Students Association] has helped me better navigate the complexities of law school.”
Embracing the Lessons for Future Success
Wedemeier-Allen said that one of the big takeaways she has learned as a 1L “is that practicing the law is not all about academia; you also have to be well-rounded and have effective soft skills to be the best attorney you can be."
“Miami Law is everything I thought it would be and more,” she said. “There is this culture of diversity and inclusivity. Not only are students intentional about creating a collegial atmosphere, but professors are also great about teaching case law and policy. It's not easy to do as a 1L, but professors always allow for innovation here."
Read more about Miami Law's student organizations
