Kathryn Querner ‘22
Executive Editor
The Peer Advisor (PA) program at UVA Law exists to guide 1L students as they navigate the transition to the personal and academic challenges of life at the Law School. Each 1L section is assigned eight or nine PAs—consisting of both 2L and 3L students—each of whom provides a broad range of support and advice to the students in his or her section. The success of the program can be attributed in large part to the involvement of its co-directors, Zac Bell ’21 and Kat Goebel ’21, as well as the dedication of each individual PA.
Goebel and Bell both served as PAs for my 1L section and, I might add, provided exceptional support and encouragement. I reached out to them with the hope of learning more about their vision for the PA Program this year.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
Goebel: I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the second oldest of five children. I love to read, garden, play softball, and draw portraits! My favorite Charlottesville pastime is trying new restaurants—if you’re looking for a place to eat, I have great recommendations.
Bell: Well, I was also born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have a lot of family and friends in the city and plan on returning here to practice after graduation. For undergrad, I went to a small university in northwestern Pennsylvania called Edinboro University. It was basically a little snow globe. While I originally intended to go directly to law school after undergrad, I ended up taking two years off and working in higher education before I started at UVA Law.
What prompted you to become a PA? And then, what prompted you to be co-directors of the PA program for this year?
Goebel: I wanted to become a PA because my first semester of law school was, admittedly, very challenging. With the help of my PAs, I made positive changes to my daily routine. Whether I was having a bad day, needed advice, or wanted someone to simply listen, I felt comfortable reaching out to my PAs for assistance. After experiencing firsthand the value of peer mentorship, I knew I wanted to give back to the program that had done so much for me and my growth as a law student. And becoming a Peer Advisor was incredibly rewarding. I loved creating relationships with 1Ls and helping others work through obstacles. I loved the PA program so much that applying to become a co-head PA was a no-brainer.
Bell: Like I said earlier, I worked in higher education for two years before law school. In this role, I mentored and worked with undergraduate students in a variety of roles. I know that coming to law school was the right choice for me, but since leaving that job, I felt like something was missing. Becoming a PA, and subsequently co-head PA, helped me fill that void and get back to doing something I’m passionate about: mentoring others.
What have been some challenges of adapting the PA program to the Law School’s new COVID protocols?
Goebel: Fortunately, we have not needed to make drastic changes to the PA program due to accessible video-call technology like FaceTime and Zoom. Rather than hosting in-person social events, we are encouraging PAs to connect with their advisees virtually. Online meetings and social events will help keep everyone safe while enabling online-only students to connect to the UVA Law community from afar. Also, PAs have always used texting, email, and phone calls to speak with their 1Ls. We chose a diverse and impressive group of individuals to serve as PAs this year, and we are confident that PAs will be creative in connecting with first-year students.
What changes are hoping to make to the PA program this year?
Bell: The biggest change we’re making this year is to the small section program. In the past, small sections were a way to make connections within a section. Every month, a PA would be paired with a handful of 1Ls to work with. While this allowed for plenty of cross-section pairings, the frequent changing of small sections made it tough for 1Ls and PAs to form solid connections. This year PAs will have a handful of 1Ls assigned to their small section for about eight weeks at a time, instead of only a month.
In selecting PAs for this year, what qualities did you look for? And what role(s) do you see the PAs serving for their 1Ls?
Goebel: When selecting students for the PA program, we are never looking for a particular type of person. We wanted to select a diverse group of individuals with different skill sets, qualities, and backgrounds. In my mind, a successful PA devotes time to their advisees, offers sound advice when prompted, and makes a genuine effort to connect with their mentees.
Do you have any advice for the 1Ls?
Goebel: To every 1L, you are impressive and deserve to be here at UVA Law! Imposter syndrome is very real, but try not to let feelings of self-doubt prevent you from enjoying your time here. There is also no “right” way to be a law student and get through law school. Everyone learns, studies, and strategizes differently.
Bell: Stay connected with those non-law school friends! At the end of a long study session, you’re going to want, and sometimes need, to decompress and gossip with someone about literally anything other than law. If you get too insulated in the Law School community, you might find you don’t have these people to reach out to. Personally, I FaceTime a non-law school friend at least a few times a week to talk about politics, pop culture, or just things going on in our lives. Obviously, you can find law school students with similar interests that you can decompress with, but just knowing that the person on the other end of the conversation isn’t going to try to sneak in a law school joke is relaxing in and of itself. Sometimes, you have to be able to fully unplug.
Many thanks to Zac and Kat for sharing their thoughts on the PA program this year! The transition to law school can be challenging, but the advice and mentorship of each PA serves to ease this transition for many 1L students.
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kmq8vf@virginia.edu