A proud participant in the Yellow Ribbon GI Bill Program, Widener Law is committed to providing a positive learning environment to the dedicated service members of the United States armed forces. The Yellow Ribbon series highlights the students, faculty, and programs that connect the Widener Law community with the brave veterans who have served their country so admirably.
“A lot of skills I learned in the Coast Guard translate to law school,” says 1st year student Brandy Ryan, adding, “In the service you learn to multitask, be a leader, be highly organized, and you learn to work long hours none stop.”
Brandy’s background has given her a strong interest in military and environmental law, and she is interested in “going back into the Coast Guard as a direct commission lawyer,” but with two more years of law school, she’s keeping her options open. She finds the school’s atmosphere a big draw, saying, “This is a very easygoing place with a lot of resources to help you succeed. It’s on the small side so it’s very easy to learn names of fellow classmates and find a group of people to study with.”
Law School represented a bit of an adjustment for Brandy. “Being in the Coast Guard I constantly moved around so I had to get my undergraduate degrees online. The whole sitting in a classroom with other students was a different experience and challenge for me at first. However, Widener was very easy to acclimate to and all the faculty and staff are amazing and willing to help me whenever I need it,” she says.
To other servicemen or women interested in law school, Brandy says, “The main thing to know is that there are a lot of prior and current service members who are at Widener either as students or professors that understand your background and where you’re coming from. Widener also hosts an array of activities for military members to be involved in from the
Military Law Society to the
Veterans Law Clinic.”
Brandy considers the new Veterans Education Assistance Act a real boon, observing, “I think the post 9-11 GI Bill is a great idea. The one thing I like the most is the fact that if you have used up your regular GI benefits and you were in the service for the required time frame you still can use the post 9-11 bill. This is really going to help a lot of service members out.”