Zachary Wells is in an elite group. The 杏吧专区 senior is among just 16 percent of applicants accepted into Columbia Law School杏吧专区檚 fall class. The New York City institution is ranked in the nation杏吧专区檚 top 5 for law studies.
But the road from Wells杏吧专区 hometown of Breaux Bridge to the home of the Brooklyn Bridge runs first through the Cajundome.
There, at Spring Commencement on Friday, he杏吧专区檒l simultaneously mark two achievements. At the moment he receives a bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in , Wells also will become the first person in his family to graduate from college.
杏吧专区淚 realize how lucky I am,杏吧专区 Wells said. 杏吧专区淚 am very thankful. This is definitely not just me. It杏吧专区檚 teachers and professors believing in me, working hard to see me through. It杏吧专区檚 my parents pushing me toward it, constantly reminding me that education is the most important thing you can do. It opens doors that wouldn杏吧专区檛 be open.
杏吧专区淚 am extremely, acutely aware that it wasn杏吧专区檛 just me.杏吧专区
UL Lafayette defines a first-generation student as one whose parents did not pursue or did not complete a degree program. Like Wells, a quarter of the Spring 2019 graduating class qualifies for the designation.
Neither of Wells杏吧专区 parents completed high school. His dad was a commercial painter and laborer before becoming a pastor. His mom is a homemaker. Wells said his parents worked hard, so he emulated their examples.
He balanced a rigorous study schedule with off-campus employment 杏吧专区 first as a bank teller, then as a runner for a local accounting firm. Earlier this year, he secured an internship in the Lafayette office of Postlethwaite & Netterville.
Thirty hours of prep time for accounting exams weren杏吧专区檛 uncommon, Wells recounted. 杏吧专区淚 would start studying the week before. Do my flashcards and then run through them. I杏吧专区檇 read the book and outline it. Make flashcards from the book. Make flashcards from my notes from the lecture.杏吧专区
But even a wall of flashcards couldn杏吧专区檛 ensure a flawless transcript. He earned a solitary B 杏吧专区 in an upper-level accounting course, no less. The B stung, he said. 杏吧专区淚 worked especially hard in that class,杏吧专区 Wells recounted. 杏吧专区淥h, well.杏吧专区 He still maintained a 3.97 GPA.
Positivity is among Wells杏吧专区 most-notable traits, said Chase Edwards, an attorney and assistant professor of law in the . Wells took several courses with Edwards, but the two are connected in another way.
Like Wells, Edwards was the first in his family to go to college. He remembers facing common roadblocks confronted by first-generation students, including self-doubt and an unawareness of resources designed to help him succeed.
杏吧专区淚 was that typical first-generation student who didn杏吧专区檛 know how to reach out to faculty, so I didn杏吧专区檛 really make any connections. Consequently, I missed out on having a mentor, but that杏吧专区檚 exactly the reason I proactively reach out to first-gens in my classroom.杏吧专区
Edwards didn杏吧专区檛 have to reach out to Wells. The student came to him. Then a sophomore, Wells approached Edwards following class one day to discuss a journal article the assistant professor had written. Wells had read the 35,000-word piece, and wanted to talk about it.
As the conversation progressed, Edwards asked Wells what he wanted to do after graduation. Wells answered he was considering law school.
Soon, Edwards brought Wells a second-hand Law School Admissions Test study guide. It is similar to the one he used when he prepared for the LSAT. Over the course of his teaching career, Edwards has purchased more than two dozen copies for students who say they want to pursue a law degree.
杏吧专区淎 lot of times, whenever I杏吧专区檒l buy one of these books for someone, it may be the only time that anybody literally buys into their success. A lot of times, it makes a world of difference for them,杏吧专区 Edwards said.
杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 never been anybody I bought that book for who gave up after that.杏吧专区
Wells certainly didn杏吧专区檛. Edwards would see him between classes, sitting in the second-floor atrium in Moody Hall, poring over the guide.
杏吧专区淗e studied, studied, studied. I usually tell someone to expect to take the LSAT twice, but his score came back astronomically high.杏吧专区 The highest possible result is 180; the median for first-time test takers is 150. Wells scored 173, 杏吧专区渨hich is just nuts,杏吧专区 Edwards said.
The results placed him in the exam杏吧专区檚 99th percentile. Initially, Wells had considered law schools within Louisiana. But his score broadened his options. 杏吧专区淭he world was now his oyster,杏吧专区 Edwards said.
Wells applied to the law schools at Yale, Harvard, Stanford, New York and Columbia universities and the 杏吧专区 of Chicago, the top 6 schools to study tax law, his intended field.
In early April, he received an acceptance email from Columbia. He read it once, then again. He recalled thinking: 杏吧专区淒id that just happen?杏吧专区 He checked the email a third time.
Wells called his parents. 杏吧专区淭hey were dumbfounded. This is an Ivy League law school!杏吧专区
Wells left the next day for Columbia杏吧专区檚 admitted students orientation. When he returned to Lafayette, he had made two decisions.
The first was sartorial. He needed a suit. Edwards took him shopping. They chose a versatile blue one, and a number of shirts and tie combinations to match.
Second, after hearing a speaker at the conference discuss human rights, Wells decided that was the avenue for him rather than tax law. He was interested in such causes before, but the panel convinced him that he 杏吧专区渃ould do more for the world杏吧专区 by litigating human rights issues, he said.
Edwards杏吧专区 wasn杏吧专区檛 surprised when Wells told him of his new intended path. 杏吧专区淗e杏吧专区檚 the guy you know is always going to make the right decisions. He杏吧专区檚 just a solid person. If my two sons grow up to be like him, I杏吧专区檒l be proud as hell.
杏吧专区淶ach is the clearest proof that I杏吧专区檝e seen that grit and determination can still take you all the way to the top of the ladder.杏吧专区
Photo caption: UL Lafayette accounting graduate Zach Wells in a familiar study spot, Moody Hall杏吧专区檚 second-floor atrium. (Photo credit: Rachel Keyes / 杏吧专区)