<div><img style="float: right;" src="{staticroot}files/resources/bethanywigfield400px.jpg" alt="" width="33%" /></div>
<p>When 3L Bethany Wigfield arrived at Delaware Law School in 2013 she was looking to take advantage of all the exciting experiences law school would offer. She had just earned a bachelor&rsquo;s in political science and history from Mansfield University in northwestern Pennsylvania and she didn&rsquo;t really know what to expect from law school.</p>
<p>Wigfield seized on the wide range of opportunities she encountered and she built skills and connections through a love of pro bono service that flourished during her time here. Now, she&rsquo;s being recognized for many ways she found to give back while a student.</p>
<p>The Public Interest Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association has tapped Wigfield to receive a 2015 Law Student Award, given to students from Philadelphia-area law schools who demonstrate a commitment to public service. <a href="ipl://20//WyIxMTUiXQ==">Sydney Howe-Barksdale,</a> assistant dean of public interest partnerships and opportunities, nominated her.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Bethany has grown into a role model for her peers during her time in law school,&rdquo; Howe-Barksdale said. &ldquo;She is an exceptional young leader who exemplifies a spirit of public service and the desire to use her legal training to improve the lives of others. I am so pleased to see her receive this recognition.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Wigfield spent her first summer after law school working in the Delaware Office of the Public Defender. She interned for Delaware Superior Court Judge Charles E. Butler during her second-year of law school. She was a student leader who helped launch the Youth Court Program in Delaware, as well as the Youth Court League, a student organization that supports the program &ndash; all work that was done during her first and second years of law school. She serves as the organization president this year. She has volunteered to help the Delaware Wills For Heroes program and the Public Interest Law Association&rsquo;s scholarship efforts. Wigfield interned with the Delaware Law School <a href="ipl://128//W10=">Veterans Law Clinic </a>this summer through the Equal Justice Works program and she is continuing her service with the clinic through her final school year.</p>
<p>&ldquo;I feel really fortunate to have had these experiences and opportunities here, and to have my family who supports me,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>Wigfield plans to take the North Carolina bar exam after she graduates from Delaware Law School with pro bono distinction in May. She will pursue a career in family law in Charlotte.</p>