When Reda Taleb (McLean Class, 2015) talks about “giving back,” she isn’t just reciting a slogan — she’s living by example. The daughter of immigrants from Bint Jbeil, Lebanon, Taleb’s parents, along with her six older siblings, laid roots in Dearborn’s south end, an area known for its pollution-emitting factory smoke stacks and community of Arab Americans seeking the “American Dream.”
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Cooley graduate Elizabeth Joy Fossel, of counsel, Varnum Attorneys at Law, imparts words of wisdom and sage advice to new Cooley graduates during their commencement ceremony on May 20, 2018. Read excerpts from her keynote address and #FromWhereIStand story below.
My legal success story is atypical, but nonetheless fully attributed to Cooley's thoughtful and practical approach to the legal profession as well as dedicated and knowledgeable faculty. Because of Cooley's networking events and skills courses, I was able to land a job right after graduation with a notable firm in Muskegon, Michigan.
I was admitted to Cooley Law School and only two other law schools. I had a very high GPA in college and a very strong resume of volunteering and leadership, but my LSAT score was average. Many law schools judged me based solely on my LSAT and said goodbye.
From where I stand, as a Mexican American attorney from a mid-sized All American city in Texas, I say our critics can be our motivators. In 2008, I knew the rumors about Cooley's supposed open admissions beforehand, but did some research and saw things differently. They give qualified people a chance. And I knew I was qualified. I was working full time with undocumented immigrant children and decided to go to law school.
#FromWhereIStand is an op-ed forum allowing a voice and stance for our Cooley community of family and friends. Law student Sarah E. Shirley (April 2020) writes about the requisite need for diversity in law school for a better world.
"Perceptions are powerful things. They shape our worldview. They energize us emotionally and move us to action. But they are not facts – they are the vehicles through which we perceive facts. Perceptions contain some truths, but rarely the entire truth." - Cooley Ethics Professor Victoria Vuletich
#FromWhereIStand is an op-ed forum allowing a voice and stance for our Cooley community of family and friends. James D. Robb, the law school's associate dean of external affairs and general counsel, is passionate about Cooley, its history and its mission. He also is not impressed by those with their own agendas who give uninformed criticism and offer unfounded opinions. Think about it. Why would someone criticize our School for the recent actions of a lawyer who graduated 27 years ago? Maybe this is more of the recent trend of incivility and bullying in the media and social media, in our case by people who know little about legal education and nothing about our fine Law School.
