Charleston School of Law welcomes you to The Journey, an exclusive series that celebrates the remarkable achievements of the 2026 graduating class. This series highlights our students’ unique path to law school, the challenges they’ve overcome, the experiences that shaped them, and the impact they hope to make in the legal profession and their communities.
From balancing family and careers to leading student organizations, serving the community, and excelling in the classroom, these stories showcase the resilience, dedication, and purpose that define the Charleston Law experience.
The Journey also honors academic accomplishments, reflects the school’s commitment to developing ethical, practice-ready attorneys prepared to serve with integrity and compassion, and provides a glimpse of the meaningful contributions they are poised to make in South Carolina and beyond.
We hope you will join us on The Journey. We are confident you will be inspired.
Sydney Harris confessed that, on occasion, she will pull up the Weather Channel app on her phone, take a screenshot of the current temperature in Charleston, and text it to family and friends in the Northeast.
“Charleston is such a beautiful city,” she said. “I send them screenshots just to brag.”
That’s cold – literally.
Harris, a native of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, never lived by the beach, and now she is making the most of every second. “I only applied to law schools in places where I could see myself living long-term,” she said.
Law school came into focus during her junior year at George Washington University. While studying Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship, Harris was struck by the shifting political climate.
“I was in DC–the heart of it–and I felt there was more I could do to help people,” she said.
And just like that, her outlook on her career took a 180-degree shift. Harris’ career had become an act of service instead of a job. Her work took on a whole new meaning and purpose.
“It’s going to make your career and your life a lot more fulfilling,” she said. “I felt that my strengths really were oriented toward the practice of law.”
Despite her confidence in her work ethic and education, like most new students, law school was a little intimidating.
“There was a lot of fear for me,” she said. “It just seemed like this big, daunting, scary thing, but at an Open House, there was a panel of three students, and hearing them answer questions really helped me overcome that fear. That sealed the deal for me.”
“I had this idea that I was going to be up until 2 a.m. every morning and, like, all hours of the weekend, just in the books, studying, reading. It’s a lot of work. Don’t get me wrong. But the idea that was in my head is not reality.”
Charleston Law is nationally recognized by Princeton Review for faculty excellence. “I went to a small high school, so all my teachers knew my name,” said Harris. “In undergrad, I don’t think a single professor even knew my name. Here, all the professors that I’ve had knew my name, which was shocking to me.”
When she realized the community of peers and faculty surrounding her, Harris settled in and began to thrive in the classroom, in advocacy programs, in student organizations, and in experiential learning.
“Professor Chapman has been the most incredible mentor to me,” said Harris. “She has been by my side ever since I had her for Legal Writing 1L year.”
Harris has served as an LRAW fellow for six consecutive semesters under Professor Suzanne Chapman, where she said she learned the value of developing and maintaining credibility in the field of law.
“Professor Chapman taught me how your credibility with opposing counsel and the judge really matters and how important it is not to exaggerate or misstate the law,” she said. “You don’t want to set the tone in a trial that you’re super emotionally charged. You’ve got to be passionate about the trial in your client’s case, but you don’t want to come off as so passionate that you seem, like, emotionally and personally invested.”
Sydney Harris remembers the day she walked into Orientation, asking herself if she was in over her head. But three years and a ton of success and encouragement later, she said, law school has taught her resilience.
“Never in a million years did I think that I would be on law review, that I’d be on an advocacy team, that I’d be a legal writing fellow,” she said. “If you had told me that before starting law school, I would have said no. But law school opened my eyes to how hard work and discipline can turn something I am truly passionate about into a career.”
As she begins the countdown to Commencement, Harris has begun carving out her future in the field of civil rights law. She likes the David-and-Goliath analogy.
“I always side with the little guy and, to me, that’s what civil rights litigation is, the little guy going up against the big government,” she said. “I think it’s so important when you’re going into law to have that sense of compassion — and passion — for what you’re doing.”
I like civil rights law because I think there are more opportunities to make creative arguments and try to change the law. I love legal writing, arguing, and researching deep, niche topics in the law. And I think there are a lot of those in civil law, in general, but especially in civil rights. I think there’s a real opportunity for reform. – Sydney Harris
Since May 2024, Harris has served as a Law Clerk at Blundy Law Firm on Daniel Island. The hands-on experience is preparing her for life after the Bar Exam.
Charleston School of Law will celebrate Commencement 2026 on Saturday, May 16, at the McAlister Field House on the campus of The Citadel. The ceremony will be streamed live on the Charleston Law website.
