Small Investments Lead to Lasting Impact: Alumni Allies Experiences

All BYU Law Alumni are Invited to Mentor a New 1L

Remember your first year of law school? Maybe you felt excitement along with pressure, confusion, and that nagging, deep-seated fear that everyone else had it all figured out. Here’s your invitation to be a supportive voice to a new BYU Law student as they navigate the rigors of 1L year.

Four members of the BYU Law community, Alumni mentors Rod Andreason (‘00) and Daniel Carr (‘05), and rising 2Ls Jacob Dayley (‘27) and Nathan Kaufusi (‘27) recently shared insights from their experiences with the  Alumni Allies mentorship program.

Tailor Your Time, Make an Impact

Daniel Carr advises participating mentors to “scale your commitment to your available time.” Alumni Allies now matches Alumni mentors and new 1L students based on each party’s desired level of involvement per semester. For Daniel, that means two or three phone calls of 20–30 minutes each and one lunch during the fall semester, since he lives nearby.

Daniel’s priority has been to help students learn two truths: “First, no matter how smart, kind, or wonderful you are, odds are you still won’t place in the top quarter of your class, but that’s okay! No matter your class standing, you can have meaningful lives and contribute to your profession, community, church, and family. Keeping perspective is gold! Second, no matter how well you do, you will probably experience some setbacks. Be resilient!”

Importantly, Daniel emphasized that there is no expectation for Alumni Allies mentors to provide job leads or career placement. “It happens—and when it does, it’s a cherry on top—but that is not the goal.”

Mentoring from a Distance

Mentor Rod Andreason lives in Utah County and meets with law students for lunch whenever possible. However, he says that Alumni can engage well and make lasting impacts even when they live outside the area.  “Important relationships can still be built. Video conference calls allow face-to-face interaction,” Andreason said.  “In phone calls, students can hear a supportive voice and uplifting messages. Even support purely through email is still helpful as long as you’re committed enough to follow through with correspondence.”  

He encourages Alumni, “Offer a little bit of time, good spirits, and goodwill to support students in a way that would be meaningful to them. In a way, that’s beneficial to you as well.  Enjoy the students and give back. It’s rewarding to enjoy and encourage another human!”

While Rod acknowledges there are good questions and potential discussion topics available in the Alumni Allies optional “Program Guide,” he maintains that the students are usually self-driven and their questions are typically organic. “My approach is to be flexible based on what the student wants or needs,” Rod said. “Keep things flexible and tailor your input to the student’s needs.”

Gaining a Mentor and a Friend

Rising 2L Jacob Dayley is grateful for his Alumni Allies experience. After starting with emails, he met his mentor in person for a few lunches. Jacob acknowledged that the first year of law school can be overwhelming and appreciated his mentor’s flexibility. Jacob observed, “The relationship not only created a business contact but gave me a friend—someone who cared about me as a person and wanted to be involved in my life. I wasn’t super happy when my grades came out, but my mentor inspired me and gave me different strategies for applying to firms and moving forward.”

To BYU Law Alumni who are considering mentoring, Jacob strongly encourages you to do so: “Your support and experience can shape the future generation!”  

Confidence That Carries Forward

Rising 2L Nathan Kaufusi called his pairing with mentor “one of the best parts” of his 1L year. “Wayne was amazing—he was always reaching out to share scholarship opportunities, and he even helped me receive one through the Utah Minority Bar Association (UMBA),” Nathan shared. “He was also genuinely there for me whenever I needed advice, whether it was a quick phone call, meeting up for lunch, or even an invite to go play golf and chat. He really went above and beyond to check in and help me grow as a law student.”

Nathan says one of the biggest takeaways from the experience was a boost in confidence around networking. “Wayne’s advice and encouragement opened doors for me to connect with attorneys at different events, which really helped me feel more comfortable building professional relationships. That made a huge difference when it came to landing job offers for next summer.”

Please consider signing up today. Just a few hours per semester can change a 1L student’s entire outlook and experience.

Click here to learn more about becoming a mentor.