Haley Nelson ’27 Combines Advocacy and Mentorship Through CEJ Fellowship

Rising third-year law student Haley Nelson has wanted to become an attorney since she was 14 years old and competing in mock trial in high school.

Now at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, she’s helping other students find their own path into the legal profession through her work with the law school’s Center for Equity and Justice.

Before law school, Nelson attended Washington & Jefferson College, where she double majored in business administration and Spanish while also minoring in gender and women’s studies. But when it came time to choose a law school, rankings and prestige were not what mattered most to her.

It was the people.

“I toured multiple other law schools, and the competition was palpable,” Nelson said. “I attended an accepted students day at another Pennsylvania law school, and people were already eyeing each other up with suspicion.”

That experience stuck with her, especially after visiting Widener Law Commonwealth and meeting Natalie Guerra ’25, who came in on a Saturday to give her a tour.

“It was like night and day,” Nelson said. “She was so kind and willing to help. I knew I wanted to be part of this community and promote that positive energy.”

That sense of belonging eventually shaped the kind of work Nelson hopes to do after graduation. She plans to pursue immigration law, a goal closely tied to her own family and the people around her.

“My maternal family is comprised of Peruvian immigrants,” she said. “Some of my best friends are immigrants. I desperately need to be part of the push to end hateful rhetoric around immigration.”

At the Center for Equity and Justice, Nelson has found a way to put those passions into action long before entering practice.

As part of the pathway program, which helps students from underrepresented backgrounds prepare for the LSAT and law school, Nelson’s responsibilities touch nearly every aspect of the program. She interviews applicants, tracks attendance and homework submissions, manages the center’s email account, writes recommendation letters and supports students throughout the semester. During the summer, she also evaluates prospective instructors for the Guided Journey PLUS Program.

She credits Dean andré douglas pond cummings with first encouraging her to get involved.

“Once I read through the mission statements, I was all in,” Nelson said.

For her, the work feels personal because she remembers how overwhelming the LSAT process could feel when she was going through it herself.

“The test feels insurmountable, but it is a learnable exam,” she said. “I would’ve loved to have support like this program.”

Over time, the students she works with have become one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. One moment from this year’s pathway cohort still stands out to her.

“At the end of this year’s pathway program, the students took 15 minutes of our last class together to present a PowerPoint they had made full of highlights from the semester,” Nelson said. “They thanked the fellows for all of our hard work and celebrated their successes. It was incredibly touching.”

Working with those students has only strengthened her belief that the legal profession needs more voices and lived experiences at the table.

“Multiple students in the most recent pathway cohort were immigrants themselves or children or family members of immigrants,” Nelson said. “By giving them an opportunity to improve their LSAT skills, they now have a better opportunity to go to law school with a passing LSAT score, and they can enter the workforce to support other immigrants and keep the cycle going.”

That, she believes, is exactly why programs like pathway matter.

“Conversations without diversity of thought provide little to no opportunities to grow,” Nelson said. “Hearing from individuals with differing backgrounds allows people to get out of their own worlds and realize that there are others out there dealing with problems just as pressing as their own.”

Outside the classroom and fellowship work, Nelson says the biggest influence in her life has been her older sister, who is also an attorney.

“She’s incredible and my hero,” Nelson said. “She has taken on so much responsibility her entire life to ensure I’ve been taken care of.”

At Widener Law Commonwealth, she says Dean cummings and Professor Robyn Meadows have also played an important role in helping her navigate law school.

“Dean cummings has encouraged me to believe in myself and never let negative energy hold me back from accomplishing my goals,” she said. “Professor Meadows has encouraged me to get out of my head more and be kind to myself.”

Balancing classes with fellowship responsibilities has pushed her in ways she did not expect. Asked how she manages it all, Nelson answered honestly.

“I honestly don’t know,” she said. “Just gotta do what’s expected of you until it’s all done.”

Still, she keeps showing up, even on the exhausting days, because she knows the work matters.

“This is real work we’re doing to impact real people’s lives,” Nelson said. “People are desperate to get into this program. This is not a light lift.”

Interview was conducted in Spring 2026.