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<p>A new student organization recently formed at Delaware Law aims to make first generation law students feel more connected to the professional world they&rsquo;re studying to enter.</p>
<p>More than 70 percent of Delaware Law School students are the first in their families to attend law school. Student Ruby Delarosa and other first generation students brainstormed the idea for a student organization last year, while drawing inspiration from then Interim Dean Erin Daly, who was creating a steering committee of alumni and friends to support a First Generation Initiative for the school. Delarosa worked to get the organization off the ground by preparing required paperwork, drafting a constitution and serving as president. Fellow student Brandon Harper, a 2L group member, developed a relationship with the steering committee Daly founded and opened a line of communication between students and alumni. He serves as the alumni affairs liaison.</p>
<p>Other officers are Jessica Moyer as vice president, Jessica Colon as treasurer, Colette Monaghan as secretary and Matthew Casale as public information officer.</p>
<p>The student group has a simple goal: Help first generation law students feel equal to classmates who may have a greater comfort level with law school because of family ties to the profession.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Overall what we want is to create something like a family. A place you can go with your questions, like a support group,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>Delarosa, for example, wasn&rsquo;t sure how to approach lawyers at networking events to speak with them. She had questions about how to dress for different functions. Through the organization, she is looking at developing regular panel discussions where students can bring questions and concerns about the law student experience, as well as share networking opportunities.</p>
<p>The group has a cheerleader in Dean Rod Smolla, a first generation lawyer who says he hadn&rsquo;t ever met an attorney when he started law school. Smolla and Delarosa were among the speakers at a reception celebrating the initiative and the student group, held in The Strine Atrium this spring. Smolla wants first generation students to be comfortable at Delaware Law and not let their lack of family ties to the profession lead them to feel at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>&ldquo;What I&rsquo;ve learned is grit, perseverance, work ethic, people skills and human judgment are ultimately what matters above all else,&rdquo; he said.</p>