How your gift impacts students like Wendy Jeter

“The blended-learning option was one of the main reasons I applied to Mitchell Hamline, and it was the best decision I could’ve made. Since being admitted, every student, faculty member, and administrator I’ve come across has been amazing and has gone out of their way to support me and my classmates. I scream from the rooftops how much I love this school!”

— Wendy Jeter, 3L blended-learning student and Student Bar Association president, from Chicago

Why Professor Michael Steenson gives

“This has been my life. I’ve given this law school pretty much everything I have for a long, long time. I think it’s really important for people to give back to the law school that’s given so much to them. Without Mitchell Hamline School of Law, I never would’ve been able to do what I’ve done in my professional career.”

— Michael Steenson, professor of law and faculty adviser to the Law Review

The many ways alumna Heather Gilbert ’12 gives back

“After I graduated law school in 2012, about a year later, some of the professors reached out to me to participate in doing some adjunct teaching. In addition, I usually—once or twice a year—take on an extern that comes to our law firm and they can either earn credit, serve through the work-study program, or be a paid clerk. And then also serving on panels or providing CLEs on different topics for Mitchell Hamline. There are a lot of ways to give back other than just donating financially.”

— Heather Gilbert ’12, president and owner of Gilbert Law

Transforming lives for students like Angela Marie Smith

When I began my journey at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, I knew I was looking for an institution that didn’t just teach the law, but taught how to become a lawyer—how to think, advocate, problem-solve, and serve. What I didn’t realize was how deeply this community would shape my confidence, my sense of purpose, and my vision for the future.

Mitchell Hamline has given me the opportunity to build on the skills and experiences I brought with me and transform them into tools for meaningful impact. Here, I’ve learned how to take what I already knew and apply it through the lens of the law—strengthening my voice, sharpening my analytical abilities, and discovering new ways to serve others.

This school opened my eyes to a world of possibilities. It showed me that I can be the change maker I aspire to be—for myself, for my community, and for the broader world that needs thoughtful, compassionate advocates. The faculty, staff, and my classmates who make up this community continuously inspire growth, curiosity, and resilience. I had the pleasure of being taught by thoughtful leaders who I wish to emulate. They didn’t have to shout to show their presence. Their unwavering support helped me see not just what the law is, but what it can do when used with intention and heart.

I am forever grateful for the investment Mitchell Hamline has made in me and for the space it provides students to evolve, challenge themselves, and discover their purpose. Thank you for empowering me to step into my future with clarity, confidence, and conviction!

— Angela Marie Smith, 3L Juris Doctor Candidate 2026

Jason Johnson ’18 expresses gratitude for his law school experience

When I think about my time as a law student at Mitchell Hamline, I am grateful for the dedicated faculty who took a genuine interest in our professional and personal success, the enduring relationships I formed with classmates, and for receiving an education—replete with practical experiences—that prepared me to practice law upon graduation and confidently develop my career as a lawyer.

— Jason Johnson, ’18, Director of Legal & Franchise Administration | Great Clips, Inc.
Mitchell Hamline Alumni Board Member

Clint Campion ’99 makes a difference in Alaska

I chose William Mitchell because I was interested in being a prosecutor and I was seeking a practical education. I’ve never regretted that decision. I’m proud of my relationship with Mitchell Hamline and proud to support Mitchell Hamline in Alaska.

— Clint Campion ’99, former JAG attorney, current member and an owner of Sedor Wendlandt Evans & Filippi

Kelly Von Ruden, Assistant Dean Academic Affairs highlights student connections and the impact graduates have on their local communities

The number one reason we’re here is the students and I think they make us very proud to do what we do. We work with them throughout their program, and we are with them, on stage, when they graduate. The highlight to me is watching them go home to their local communities and do good in their local communities they would otherwise not have been able to do if they hadn’t gotten their law degree.

— Kelly Von Ruden, Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs

Joseph Perez, 3L students shares gratitude for supportive professors at a law school that allows him to pursue his passion and a law degree at the same time

My experience has been incredible – supportive professors, classmates who genuinely care, and real-world opportunities. I’ve even been able to extern with a district attorney’s office and go on the record in court all while being a student. I work on set regularly all over the nation as an actor and Mitchell Hamline’s blended program allows me to pursue my creative passion and my legal career at the same time. It’s the kind of balance I didn’t think was even possible, but it is here.

— Joseph Perez, 3L student

McKaia Dykema ’23 celebrates how Mitchell Hamline meets students where they are

Mitchell Hamline’s blended program was the perfect fit for me and when I visited Mitchell Hamline and learned more about the institution I thought it was the perfect fit in all of the senses from its equity goals to the academic structure that it had and the flexibility, from the ability of the school and institution to meet students where they were at, it inspired me, it encouraged me and it made me believe in myself that yes, law school is something I can do.

— McKaia Dykema ’23, Alumni Association Board Member, Staff Attorney at League of Minnesota Cities

Jennifer Guerra, 1L student chose Mitchell Hamline because of faculty and community

I chose to attend Mitchell Hamline because of the amount of externships, the clinics, and also the professors – I realized I could learn a lot from them. I had quite a few choices, but Mitchell Hamline stood out with the sense of community and just the friendliness, I knew it would be a very supportive environment.

— Jennifer Guerra, 1L student

Leanne Fuith ’10 is grateful for the preparation received in law school

And I felt I was prepared for practice, the kinds of things I was doing in the classroom were really focused on what I needed to know to be a lawyer from day one, to serve clients and the work that I was exposed to in my classes and through clerkships while I was a student really was excellent preparation. So, I was so grateful for the way the law school allowed me to be sort of what I needed to be and who I needed to be in all parts of my life during that chapter.

— Leanne Fuith ’10, Professor of Law, Alumna

Katie Fulmer, Director Academic Affairs shares how gratifying it is to see the work our students do in their communities

I have the chance to work with learners who are incredible – they are doing incredible things currently in their communities and they are obtaining their law degrees to go back and do more incredible things for themselves, their family, and their community. It’s really gratifying to see. The experiences, the positive experiences I’ve had with our students, our staff, and our faculty have kept me here and will continue to keep me here.

— Katie Fulmer, Director, Academic Affairs

Tom Walsh, Security officer shares gratitude for the campus community

I have worked at MHSL for about two years in the security capacity. It has been one of the best employment decisions I have made. The students are excited, nice, and polite. The staff and faculty are very friendly, approachable and clearly professionals. I am grateful for the opportunity to observe the student body grow intellectually and watch their confidence grow as well.

— Tom Walsh, Security Officer

Grateful for community

Mitchell Hamline School of Law has provided me with a stellar legal education and sense of community which is the reason why I stay connected to the school despite graduating several years ago. After my acceptance to the school, I drove over 1300 miles from Boston to Saint Paul with zero regrets but an immense amount of gratitude for my legal education. As a law student, I had the chance to connect with alumni, explore externships, clerkships, and course offerings that satiated my varied interests in the law. As a graduate and currently working as an assistant county attorney, I choose to remain connected to the law school serving as a tutor in the Academic Excellence office and as an adjunct professor because I believe it is the best way I can invest in future graduates and the law school.

— Muteeat Lawal ’19, Assistant County Attorney

Gratitude comes in many forms

I’m so grateful for all the people I’ve met, the friendships I’ve developed, the people I would not know, if not for Mitchell Hamline. Mitchell Hamline truly is a unique, special place. It’s not for everyone, but it is for me and I’m grateful to be a part of the Mitchell Hamline family.

— Lynette Fraction, Executive Assistant to the President and Dean