Shanna Miles

Student groups

Because I swore that law school would be my last time going to school ever, I wanted to really take advantage of participating in student organizations. On campus, I served as the Treasurer for the Student Bar Association (SBA), Director of Outside Competitions for Moot Court Honor Society, and a general body member of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and Women’s Law Caucus (WLC). Off campus, I served as Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of Membership for the National Black Law Students Association and a student member of the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia. From my involvement with these organizations, I was able to build genuine relationships with my colleagues, develop new levels of networking, and hone my time-management and leadership skills. I expect to use all of these skills in my future as a legal professional.

Experiential opportunities

I participated in the American Red Cross Southeastern Pennsylvania Disaster Relief Clinic in the fall semester of my second year. In the spring semester of my second year, I participated in an Education Law practicum with Wisler Pearlstine, LLP. As a third-year law student, I participated in the Federal Judicial Clerkship Honors Program, where I was assigned to Magistrate Judge Carol Sandra Moore Wells of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. From these experiential learning opportunities, I learned the value of effective communication, whether it’s communicating with a client, an associate or partner at a law firm, or a judge. Sometimes effective communication made the biggest difference in being able to vigorously advocate for a client.

Favorite faculty member

Professor Donald Harris has been the most influential faculty member in shaping my legal education. After I accepted the offer to attend Temple Law, Professor Harris was the first person to contact me outside of the admissions team. He welcomed me to the Temple Law family and extended an invitation for me to reach out to him with any questions, concerns, or requests. And he meant it. Professor Harris is my favorite faculty member because he is passionate and has consistently demonstrated his interest in the overall well-being of students. I have used his an open door policy countless times to discuss everything from outlines/exam prep and law school transitioning to career development and personal issues affecting schoolwork and life balance. He has unselfishly served as a valuable resource. I attribute much of my progress, including my academic success, to his support, continued encouragement, and pragmatic approach. Besides being a great mentor and resource, Professor Harris is also an amazing professor. In the spring semester of my second year, I took his Sales course, which introduces students to the Uniform Commercial Code. He was always clear about course objectives and prepared for class with presentation materials. He invested a substantial amount of time in ensuring that no student was left behind and that everyone had the best opportunity to do well. Professor Harris taught with a lot of enthusiasm and expressed great interest in the subject matter as well as teaching itself. His teaching style made the class much more enjoyable than just reading the code.

Carrying Temple forward

In the fall semester of my first year, I attended BLSA’s annual brunch, for which Mr. Albert S. Dandridge (former Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association) was the guest speaker. He told us that law school was simply a confidence course. I did not understand then, but I know now. As I leave to pursue my career, I will carry the confidence that Temple Law instilled in me to know that I am prepared to do great things, that I will continue to do my best work, and that I will contribute to great causes.