Student Profile: Jessica Hernandez

Name: Jessica Hernandez
Hometown: Forest City, North Carolina
Undergraduate: Yale University (’16)
Professional Work: Teach for America (2018 core member)

Why did you choose Charleston School of Law?

Jessica Hernandez: I chose the Charleston School of Law for the community that I found here. When I was first looking at schools to apply to, I noticed Charleston because of the beautiful city. But when I visited campus for Open House, I met the people here. I learned the story of the alumni. I learned the story of professors who love to teach. I learned the story of students who, like me, might be starting law school. I learned that it was a story I wanted to be a part of. The culture is great. There’s wonderful performing arts and music, Spoleto Festival, wonderful beaches, historic parks and museums. Charleston is an ideal city.

What is the campus community like?

Jessica Hernandez: My first piece of advice to someone who feels like they’re struggling in law school is to reach out to someone. You may have already reached out to family or friends who know you’re struggling, but there are other resources as well. As a 1L, when I started to feel like I was struggling I reached out to Wellness Director Cristy Lorente, and she’s been a close mentor and advisor all three years. When I was struggling with my essays and legal skills, I reached out to Professor Ashoff, and he helped break down the rubric so that I could understand how to improve that skill I need to be successful on the bar exam. When I was struggling with preparing for exams, I asked two L’s and three L’s who had that class with that professor before me, what helped them? And they connected me with helpful study resources. Charleston School of Law has resources to help you. It’s up to you. to reach out and take advantage of them.

What does it look like to you as a diverse culture here?

Jessica Hernandez: Before applying to the Charleston School of Law I did Teach for America and I learned the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and I learned the importance of developing pipelines. So the opportunity to go to law school in a place with a strong career services department that helps you guide you along the way, the opportunity to go to a law school where there’s a director of wellness and who make sure you’re taken care of and have what you need to be academically successful here. To have academic deans who understand the difficulty that is law school makes a difference when you have the support you need to do the academic work you came here to do as a law student. I found that at Charleston School of Law.

Your relationship with Career Services has helped you grow as a student and your future legal career choices?

Jessica Hernandez: My Career Services advisor starting my 1L year was Dean Sanders. At every stage along the way, I’ve been able to go to him and say, Dean Sanders, ‘I’m thinking about this opportunity’ and he has been able to provide insight, connect me with resources, help me understand the factors to consider, the questions to ask as I navigate making decisions about what opportunities to apply for.

What experiential learning opportunities have helped you better understand of what the practice of law really looks like on a day to day basis?

Jessica Hernandez: I had the honor of traveling to Vienna, Austria to represent the Charleston School of Law at the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot with my four teammates. Together we participated in four hearings discussing a fictional multi-million dollar dispute. When I started doing that competition, I knew nothing about the international sale of goods. I had a lot of learning to do. Our coach would join us over Zoom. our coach and explain the process and the area of law that was new to us. He introduced us to other practitioners in international arbitration who helped give us the starting point for understanding the law and the parts and the pieces. Then it was up to us. Three months later we were in Vienna arguing in front of a former German court of appeals judge, attorneys who were in house counsel and who practice in firms that are renowned internationally and in front of attorneys who practice international commercial arbitration every day. They call the VisMoot the Olympics of mooting because unlike a few other international competitions.