With gratitude,
A reflection by graduating student, Kellen Sweeney, Widener University Delaware Law School
Guest post by Kellen Sweeney, graduating law student and Financial Literacy Initiatiave Research and Editorial Fellow, Widener University Delaware Law School:
As my time in law school and my year as a Research and Editorial Fellow for the Narrative Justice Project’s Financial Literacy Initiative comes to a close, I have not spent much time reflecting on the past few years. This feels like the perfect opportunity to do so.
I came into law school as a blank slate. I do not have any lawyers in my family, and I did not have many people in my life to lean on for advice about what to expect. As a result, I did as much research as I could on what law school would be like and how to be successful during it. One idea that consistently stood out was to be open to the experiences and opportunities that come your way.
Therefore, I started my second year by joining the Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, the Moot Court Honor Society, and serving as Treasurer of Youth Court, an organization dedicated to teaching middle school students about restorative justice. Still, one opportunity I had always hoped for was the chance to serve as a teaching assistant. At the end of my second year, while taking Professor Kohli’s Contracts II class, she mentioned she was looking for a research and teaching assistant. After taking two of her classes, I knew I would be a strong fit and immediately pursued the opportunity. I was fortunate to be selected and even more fortunate that the role became more meaningful than I initially expected.
In addition to my work guiding 1L students through Contracts I, I was introduced to Professor Kohli’s work with the Narrative Justice Project (NJP), a nonprofit fiscally sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts, that fosters collaboration between artists and lawyers to promote dialogue around justice and humanity.
Through the NJP, I became involved with Defining Money, a free weekly newsletter that explores financial and legal concepts through storytelling, case law, and accessible discussion. I was immediately drawn to its mission. As a first-generation law student, I understand how foreign and intimidating legal and financial concepts can feel. After three years of law school, I have come to appreciate that the complex nature of these systems can sometimes make them seem inaccessible, but that does not and should not be the case. These concepts can be understood and even mastered by anyone. That is what makes the work of NJP and the Financial Literacy Initiative so meaningful: we break down intricate ideas and make them accessible to all. Law and finance do not have to be intimidating or exclusionary; they should be tools that everyone can understand and use to their advantage.
I am grateful to have played a role in advancing that mission and helping make this knowledge more approachable. As I move forward in my career beyond law school and my time with Professor Kohli and the Financial Literacy Initiative, I am committed to continuing this work and helping build a more equitable world where everyone has the ability to understand and engage with the legal and financial systems that shape their lives.
