Ayesha Ben Slimane ’27

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Dozens of students stopped at Ayesha Ben Slimane’s table during Ramadan to try sweets and ask questions. For Ben Slimane, who had felt isolated since starting law school, the chance to share her culture and faith brought something she had been missing: a sense of belonging.

Now a third-year student at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and president of the Middle Eastern, South Asian and North African Law Students Association, Ben Slimane wants other students to find that feeling sooner. She has helped build MESALSA into a place where students can connect over shared experiences and invite the wider campus community to learn alongside them.

“My parents instilled in me from a very young age the importance of always being proud of my heritage, culture, and religion,” she said. Helping establish the organization, she added, is a way to honor what they taught her and leave something meaningful for the students who follow.

Ben Slimane grew up in Harrisburg, where her father’s experience as an immigrant first drew her toward the law. Watching him navigate the immigration process made her want to advocate for others facing similar challenges. She arrived at law school expecting to pursue immigration law and still hopes to work in the field someday.

Her plans have grown through the people she has met closer to home. Since her first semester, Ben Slimane has volunteered with the Dauphin County Bar Association’s custody clinic. She also completed an externship with the Dauphin County Domestic Relations office. Both experiences introduced her to families navigating difficult moments and helped her discover where she now hopes to build her career.

“I want to help people through some of the most difficult moments of their lives,” she said. “I hope I am able to make an impact in the sense of providing my clients with compassion, understanding, and empathy.”

Ben Slimane chose Widener Law Commonwealth because she wanted to stay near home. It was the first law school she toured, and she could picture herself there from that initial visit. Once classes began, though, she felt nervous and unsure of herself.

“I think people often try to come across as confident and like they have everything figured out, but the truth is, it is completely normal to feel lost,” she said.

One moment from her first year helped her see how much progress she had made. At the end of the semester, Professor Amanda Sholtis gave Ben Slimane the most improved writer award. She hadn’t expected it.

“It was a small moment, but I was truly proud of myself and how much I had grown,” she said.

Ben Slimane credits Sholtis’ guidance with helping her through that first year. She also remembers hearing Craig Shagin, an adjunct professor at Widener Law Commonwealth, speak about immigration law. His passion gave her hope as she considered what kind of legal career she wanted.

Her work with MESALSA has given her another way to put her values into practice. She served as the organization’s social media director during her first year and returned as president in her third. At its Ramadan event during her first year, she watched students approach the table with curiosity, try Middle Eastern and South Asian sweets, and ask what the observance meant to Muslims. After coming from an undergraduate school with a larger Arab and Muslim population, she was excited to share that part of herself with her new community.

Ben Slimane hopes MESALSA continues to offer that welcome to students from Middle Eastern, South Asian and North African communities, especially those who might otherwise feel alone. She also hopes it gives students opportunities to learn from one another, particularly since students of all backgrounds are welcome in the organization.

For prospective law students, her advice comes from remembering how uncertain she felt at the start: Take the work seriously, but give yourself grace. Take a day off when you need one. Celebrate the small wins.

“Every little accomplishment matters,” she said, “and you deserve to recognize how far you’ve come.”

Interview was conducted in Fall 2026.