McDaniel junior selected for prestigious summer law program

Jasmin Chavez has been on a steady climb to her goal of becoming an immigration attorney since she arrived at McDaniel in the fall of 2015 — and last week the summit came into even clearer focus with her early acceptance to the Summer for Undergraduates program at Florida State University College of Law.

The junior from Falls Church, Va., is among 60 students nationwide admitted to the prestigious Donald J. Weidner Summer for Undergraduates program. Established in 1992 by Donald J. Weidner, dean emeritus of Florida State University College of Law, students selected into this tuition-free, four-week program get a head start on preparing for law school while gaining insight into the law school admission and application process. 

“I literally started jumping for joy when I received the call that I had an early acceptance into the summer law program of my dreams,” says Chavez, who has a double major in Political Science and Spanish. “My biggest dream is to be able to serve my community as an immigration attorney, and this opportunity will definitely help me be one step closer to that dream.”

Chavez is founder and president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) student organization at McDaniel. She is also a Global Fellow and serves as an advisory board member for the College’s Global Bridge program for U.S.-based students who were born or grew up abroad or are bicultural or binational. She is also an admissions ambassador and Vice President of the Student Government Association. 

Chavez was named a 2017 Newman Civic Fellow, one of 273 student leaders nationwide recognized by Campus Compact. In addition, she was one of only 50 students from across the country selected as a 2017 national fellow for the Young People For (YP4), a leadership development program for the newest generation of progressive leaders.

As a freshman, she received a Griswold-Zepp award from the College to organize STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workshops for at-risk youth from Falls Church’s Culmore neighborhood. 

Also during her freshman year, Chavez was one of four students from across the country selected to intern at the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for Hispanics. She has also been awarded a silver Presidential Service Award in Washington, D.C. 

For more information about the Donald J. Weidner Summer for Undergraduates, visit www.law.fsu.edu/academics/summer-for-undergraduates.