Scott Vignos, associate director of Admission and Outreach at UC Davis School of Law, is helping to promote the “Pathway to Law School” initiative.
Furthermore, Vignos’s trip to Rio Hondo, a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) southeast of Los Angeles, was more than just another stop on the recruiting circuit.
Instead, his visit was part of a broad effort to encourage and steer more community college graduates in California — especially minorities and other underrepresented populations — into law school.
Known as “Pathway to Law School,” the new partnership targets students at 24 community colleges such as Rio Hondo, which is about 70 percent Hispanic and 90 percent minority, to try improving racial diversity in the legal profession.
Six law schools statewide are providing mentoring and financial aid counseling and help preparing for Law School Admission Test (LSAT) exams and waivers on application fees for community college students who subsequently earn a bachelor’s degree at the respective undergraduate institutions where the law schools are housed.
“Community college graduates often have very strong academic credentials and sometimes, the highest grade point averages,” says Kristen Mercado, assistant dean of admission and financial aid at the University of California, Davis law school, one of the six participants in the Pathway pipeline initiative. “They have a laser-like focus and a serious mindset. Once they decide to transfer to a four-year institution, they’re goal-directed and determined to move into strong programs.”
Mercado based her comments on her law school’s 13-year-old pipeline program for college juniors and seniors from underrepresented constituencies, one-third of who are community college graduates.
