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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GULC Welcomes New Director for RISE Program

GULC Welcomes New Director for RISE Program

The Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) appointed its first full-time director of the Resilience, Innovation, and Sustainability through Education (RISE) program.

Itunu Sofidiya was appointed as the director of the RISE program for the 2022-23 academic year, which will see the largest cohort of RISE students. Sofidiya will oversee the RISE program, which provides support for incoming students from backgrounds underrepresented in law schools and the legal profession and helps them thrive at GULC. First-year law students admitted into RISE go through a pre-orientation program followed by workshops and guidance from senior staff and graduates throughout their first year on campus.

Granting students support for their dreams and goals is a priority of the RISE program, according to Sofidiya.

“Our goal is to help our students reach their greatest potential, and we do it by cultivating a safe space for students to be the best possible versions of themselves,” Sofidiya said. “We encourage our fellows to be bold, dream big, and to take action to make those dreams a reality.”

Sofidiya, a graduate of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, has practiced law in multiple fields including working on cases related to immigration, capital punishment and domestic violence. Before becoming the director of RISE, she was a reference librarian and adjunct professor at GULC.

RISE creates a support network in which marginalized students can find solidarity among their peers, according to RISE Executive Director Maura DeMouy.

“Through the program, we spend a lot of time de-mystifying the law school experience. We introduce them to students, staff, faculty and alumni invested in their success,” DeMouy wrote to The Hoya. “And, probably most important, we help them find a community of people who look like them, often have similar lived experiences and unquestionably will be there for them throughout their time at Georgetown.”

Sofidiya said this role grants her the opportunity to work with students on both a leadership and individual level.

“They are truly an amazing group of people and I am excited to see the changes they will make both at Georgetown and in the world,” Sofidiya wrote. “As the Director, I have a lot of space to further develop programming that will help RISE students as a whole, but I also get to personally know each of the students individually. I really get the best of both worlds.”

Georgetown Law | Itunu Sofidiya will serve as the first, full-time director of RISE, a program that uplifts GULC law students from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

GULC Dean William Treanor said the RISE Program was founded to empower incoming GULC students who often find themselves excluded from the legal field.

“We started the RISE program in 2018 to ensure that students from underrepresented backgrounds have the opportunity to find community and access the resources and ongoing support they need to thrive on campus and in their legal careers,” Treanor wrote to The Hoya.

As of October 2020, around a quarter of GULC students identify with minority groups. This falls below the nationwide percentage of 28.5% of racial minority students in law schools from 2020. Programs like RISE provide support to these students who are navigating a predominantly white field.

DeMouy said Sofidiya’s background and leadership skills will enable the RISE Program to succeed.

“With her on board, we now have additional capacity to serve RISE Fellows, which is much needed because the program is growing every year,” DeMouy wrote. “In addition to her professional preparation, as a first-generation Nigerian American, and the first lawyer in her family, Professor Sofidiya brings unique insight and passion for helping RISE Fellows.”

Programs like RISE allow the Law Center to fulfill its commitment of offering equal opportunities to all students, Treanor said.

“The Law Center has long been committed to building a diverse student body and to diversifying the legal profession,” Treanor wrote. “We know that admissions — admitting students from underrepresented backgrounds to law school — is just the beginning of this work.”

Treanor said he is proud of the program’s growth and believes RISE is crucial to promote diversity and inclusion at GULC.

“By helping this cohort thrive, RISE furthers Georgetown Law’s abiding commitment to graduate students from diverse backgrounds who will become the lawyer-leaders of the future and improve the quality of justice across the nation and the world,” Treanor wrote.

Sofidiya said one of the greatest parts of her role will be seeing what students in the RISE program accomplish while at GULC and beyond.

“I tell my students all of the time, I love this work,” Sofdiya said. “I am so grateful to be in a position where I love my job. I get to help wonderful people achieve their goals.”

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