Tiffany Feria

Student groups

While at Temple Law, I served as President of the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) and as a Staff Member of the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review. My participation in LALSA was incredibly important to me because it enabled me to make connections with other Latino students, both within and outside of the Temple Law community. Together, we promoted diversity in the legal field and made our presence in the law school community known. Through my participation in LALSA, I developed strong ties to the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania (HBA-PA) and had the opportunity to form relationships with Latino attorneys who continue to serve as invaluable mentors. As a Staff Member of the Temple Political and Civil Right Law Review, I was able to fine tune my legal research and writing abilities as well as my knowledge of the Bluebook. Apart from these skills, the journal also provided an opportunity to perfect my ability to meet deadlines while still putting forth quality work. These qualities will definitely help to set me apart in my future legal career.

Volunteer and service experiences

During my second year, LALSA joined forces with the HBA-PA to conduct an expungement clinic. The clinic serviced a predominantly Latino base in a North Philadelphia neighborhood. This experience meant a lot to me because it allowed me to directly interact with the Latino community in Philadelphia. I was able to assist individuals who were being held back from accessing jobs because language posed a barrier to the help they needed. Having that one-on-one experience with members of the community allowed me to hear their stories, learn about their struggles, and see their faces when I revealed I could help. This volunteer experience helped me make a meaningful connection with Philadelphia and served as a reminder of the difference that I can make as an attorney.

Favorite faculty member

I have to say that every professor I had at Temple Law was influential in some way. Temple Law has assembled an incredibly diverse and brilliant faculty that truly has the students’ best interests in mind. With that being said, there were some faculty members who really shaped my time at Temple Law. Professor Susan DeJarnatt served as my faculty advisor on the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review. Professor DeJarnatt was a guiding light throughout my research and writing process. She was equally passionate about my topic and played a crucial role in helping me develop my analysis. I also loved Corporations with Professor Tom Lin. The subject matter was interesting, but Professor Lin’s teaching style really made the class enjoyable. He demanded a lot of from his students, which motivated me to always be prepared and focused. I also really enjoyed taking Federal Income Tax with Professor Alice Abreu during my first year. I was terrified of Tax, but Professor Abreu made the subject interesting and broke it down in an easily digestible format. She also had endless patience in answering all of my questions!

Favorite memory

After wrapping up my final 1L exam, a civil procedure take-home, I wrote a really cheesy poem about my 1L section and posted it to our group Facebook page. It was a really silly poem but I remember how happy I felt while writing it. Of course, I was thrilled to be done with 1L, but in trying to include moments that my section-mates could relate to in the poem, I was forced to really look back at my first year of law school and think about how much we had all accomplished. Throughout my time at Temple Law, I looked back at that poem to make myself laugh and remind me of the progress I had made since I wrote it.