Meet the J.D. Class of 2019
As a court appointed special advocate for the King County Superior Court, Jabu Diagana provided research and support related to children鈥檚 legal issues. Jabu received her MBA from Texas A&M University and has been involved in a number of leadership and service opportunities, including the Boeing Women in Leadership network, creating strategies to support women, and tutoring for Horns of Africa. Now at 麻豆社区 School of Law, Jabu is interested in pursuing a career in international law with a focus on human rights issues and cybercrimes involving human and animal trafficking, and looks forward to connecting her passion for social justice, her love of the law and her technical background.
Leron Vandsburger earned his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering from McGill University in Montreal, and was previously a Clean Energy Institute Seed Fellow at the University of Washington. He also speaks four different languages, is a classical violinist and enjoys playing the electric guitar. Leron鈥檚 research work allowed him to participate in the patent application process with a patent attorney, and that experience inspired him to pursue intellectual property law.
Jabu and Leron represent two of the 156 students in the Class of 2019 who began classes last week at 麻豆社区 School of Law. With a median LSAT of 163 and median GPA of 3.68, the class boasts a wide array of prior academic and professional experience.
鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome the Class of 2019, all of whom come to the law school with a wealth of experience, intelligence, and diverse backgrounds,鈥 said Mathiew Le, assistant dean for admissions and financial aid. 鈥淥ur law school remains one of the most selective in the country to be admitted into, and these students truly embody the best and brightest.鈥
Other facts about the Class of 2019:
- 57% of the 1L class are women
- The average age is 26 years
- 26.9% of the incoming class are students of color
- 10.9% of the 1L class hold graduate degrees
- Six are international students representing Chile, China, Marshall Islands and South Korea
Prior to the start of class, the incoming 1Ls participated in Foundation for Legal Studies (FLS), an onboarding and orientation for new students. FLS introduces selected study skills and lawyering skills, builds community and orients students to the social justice issues embedded in the study of law and the concepts of legal realism. Students participated in a variety of programming, including lessons on reading and note-taking, a mobile career fair and a leadership panel moderated by the dean. For a fun way to get to know Gates Hall, a scavenger hunt sent students exploring across the building.