Shallum Atkinson started the year by addressing the incoming 1L class. Read more about his experiences at GW Law.
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What sparked your interest in law school?
I was born and raised in Long Island, NY to parents of Jamaican and British roots. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters. I also lived in Georgia for part of my life which is what led me to attend the University of Georgia. While in college, I discovered my passion for so many things and I also learned a lot about how advocacy takes different shapes, the least of which through the law and lawyers. I decided I wanted to have the best tools to truly make an impact on the world during my career and that sparked my interest in law school. I ended up deferring that idea when I moved to DC to work on Capitol Hill because I understood the value of that kind of training and experience. During the pandemic, I realized it was time to finish what I started and go back to law school while I still had the energy to do so.
Why did you decide on GW Law?
I decided on GW Law for one simple reason. The people. I knew I wanted to stay in DC so I narrowed my choices to the area and I remember talking to a bunch of different individuals about how I might fit in at GW. When I called the admissions office at GW Law, Dean Sim spoke to me for as long as I needed and answered all of my questions. I knew then that they had valued more about the kind of person I was rather than just my statistics on paper and I knew then this is where I wanted to take my law school path.
During your time here has there been a class, professor, or experience that has had a significant impact on you?
There have been plenty of experiences that have, but one class I particularly loved was the College of Trial Advocacy with Professor Saltzburg. It was an opportunity to feel like a practicing attorney. We worked with practitioners to put on a full trial under the gun of an incredible instructor like Professor Saltzburg and it truly taught us the value of executing a trial is just as important as the preparation. We were challenged and supported. It was an incredibly fun class and I loved it.
What's one piece of advice you would like to share with incoming students?
One piece of advice I would love to share is for them to never lose who they are. These next few years will be tough, it will be strenuous, and it will be challenging. But the same things that got such talented individuals to law school is what will get them through law school. Hold on to your hobbies, hold on to your friends, and find the best way to blend who you are with the goal you came here to accomplish.
What are some of your top goals for the SBA this year?
Top goals for SBA this year include increasing access to mental health services and making them easier to access, investing in our campus to revitalize study spaces and collaborative spaces on campus, increasing the transparency of SBA and what we do throughout the year, and ensuring that we forge the appropriate relationships within the law school administration and the campus at large to better advocate for law students on campus. But most importantly, I made a pact to ensure that students had the opportunity to bring their own ideas to the table and I look forward to shepherding those ideas to fruition.