Dayton Docket

For the School of Law's Class of 2020, the day of the Solar Eclipse will be remembered for another reason.

It was their first day of law school.

"It feels like the stars have aligned for us to start our journey here," says 1L Emma Walton.

The students were able to go out and see the eclipse during their first day of orientation.

But it was just one new experience in a day full of them, as they learned about law school and their classmates.

"You can see there’s a very big sense of community," says 1L Davis Schwartz.

Adds 1L Rhoda Tackie Yarboi, "The people around here are so friendly."

"It really reminds me of that family feel," says 1L Benjamin Schiano.

It didn't take long for students to start to form bonds with those who are on the same journey.

"Right away I knew this was the place for me," says 1L Caleb Johnson.

Each student arrives with their own goals and ideas of how they'd like to use their law degrees, ranging from intellectual property to corporate law to immigration law to cybersecurity.

But no matter their career path, they share a desire to help others.

"I wanted to go to a law school in a city where I could make a big difference," says 1L Adrielle Lassalle.

Adds 1L Lee Mercer, "I was looking for something bigger and better."

They are the class of 2020, a number associated with good vision. On a day when many were focused on what they could or couldn’t see in the sky, these students had their eyes clearly on the future.

"It will not be easy and you are going to hit the ground running," Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and Registrar Shannon Penn told them. "But I promise you, you have a community of people in this building dedicated to helping you succeed. We care and we are so happy to welcome you into the family."