The Office of Student Life

Academic Success

The Office of Student Life mission is to facilitate learning and support the success and wellbeing of every student by developing a culture of accountability, responsibility, inclusion, and respect for our colleagues and ourselves.

office of student life
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Academic Success

Academic Success guides students in developing the skills and processes necessary to excel in the rigorous endeavors of law school and law practice. The Director runs a program of workshops and small group series and meets with students individually.

In addition, students work with the Director to provide peer academic support through the Academic Success Fellows program, gaining leadership experience while strengthening the culture of collaboration and civil engagement at Vanderbilt Law.

Programs and Services

  • Workshops

    Academic workshops are designed to teach students the skills required to navigate the unique world of legal education. The topics include critical reading, time management, outlining, issue spotting, and exam writing.

  • Small Group Series

    Students in groups of typically of five to six meet with the Director over the course of a month for a series of lessons and exercises intended to stoke personal reflection and meaningful intellectual development. For example, in the Productivity Lab, students experiment with improving focus and efficiency, which directly impact performance in the law school setting.

  • Individual Academic Strategy Sessions

    The Director meets by appointment with students individually to help students develop academic strategies to address the variety of challenges that may arise throughout their time at Vanderbilt Law.

Academic Success Fellows

The Academic Success Fellows program provides peer academic support to all law students, through open office hours and other events to encourage academic accomplishment. The Fellows work with the Director to develop a sound approach to academic advising.

Previous Fellows

  • Yesenia Jimenez '24

    Yesenia was a first-generation high school and college graduate. Although a Michigan native, she spent the past several years living in multiple different cities and countries. As an undergraduate, she studied political science, as well as French and Portuguese. Right after college, she spent a year living in Paris on a research fellowship. Prior to law school, she spent several years working at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights serving unaccompanied immigrant children. She joined the Fellows because to help fellow first-generation students thrive in law school. When not studying, Yesenia enjoys sharing unsolicited photos of her dog Mateo.

  • Zoebedeh Malakpa '24

    Zo, a recent graduate from Toledo, OH was honored to serve as an Academic Success Fellow! He became a Fellow because it is a great way to make a meaningful contribution to the Vanderbilt Law community. He believes that Vanderbilt is a warm and welcoming place, and that our community is strengthened when we make it a priority to support one another. As a Fellow, he was most excited about helping his peers identify resources that often go overlooked.

    Zo graduated from Miami University with a B.A. in Psychology and went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Experimental Psychology from Villanova University, where he also served as a teaching assistant.

    For the past two summers, Zo worked at Bass, Berry, & Sims and Bridgestone Americas. After graduation, he joined Bass, Berry, & Sims as an associate.

Meet the Team

  • Meg Phillips

    Director, Student Services

    Pronouns: She | Her | Hers