A holistic approach to student success
In UB Law’s new dedicated wellness room, the vibe is tranquil, and the many stresses of law school seem far away. There’s group yoga on Thursdays, as well as a plant wall, comfortable furniture, a meditation area, a mini-waterfall—all the better to help students reconnect body and soul after the rigors of studying.
Ashley Abbott, director of student life.
“Law students carry an intense workload and have to be able to manage stress,” says Ashley Abbott, the school’s director of student life (and weekly yoga instructor).
The wellness room, new this academic year, is in Room 640, adjacent to the Charles B. Sears Law Library. UB Law is one of the first law schools in the nation to create this kind of dedicated wellness space. It’s part of the law school’s ongoing commitment to providing students with holistic support through what might be the most trying time of their life.
“Wellness is one of our primary initiatives, and we have a lot of events related to students’ overall well-being,” Abbott says. Those include weekly wellness initiatives offering coffee and hot chocolate, tabling with community wellness organizations, visits by therapy dogs, and a focused Wellness Week each semester.
That support extends of course to students’ academic lives as well. UB Law provides all students with dedicated faculty advising, professional development courses, a bar skills and strategies course, peer and professional mentoring, and other forms of both group and one-on-one support. No one goes it alone; from orientation through graduation, student success is a product of a full community effort, and the outstanding accomplishments of our students are proof of its effect.
Success stories
With the right supports in place, good things are bound to happen. There’s much to celebrate in the awards, honors and accomplishments that our students continue to achieve. Here’s a brief sampling:
Tyonna Acoff ’26
Recipient of the 2024 Future Legal Scholar Award presented by the Minority Bar Association of Western New York.
Andrew Cegielski ’25 and Lachlan Macintosh ’26
Winners of the Best Movant’s Brief at the National Pretrial Competition held at Stetson University College of Law.
Allen Greer ’25, Khalia Muir ’26 and Emmanuel Wright ’26
Recipients of a Judge Hugh Scott Scholarship Award presented by the Minority Bar Foundation of Western New York.
Cassidy Jensen ’26 & Skyler Rehbein ’27
Winners of the 2024 Representation in Mediation Competition.
Caila Wager
Inaugural recipient of a 2024 Michael F. Anthony Health Law Scholarship presented by the American Health Law Association.
Gavin Zmuda ’26 and Gianna Palumbo ’26
Winners of our 2024 Charles S. Desmond Moot Court Competition.
An outstanding undergraduate
Nour Jaber ’25 (BA in Law and Criminology) Recipient of an Academic Integrity Award presented by the University at Buffalo’s Office of Academic Integrity.