{"id":527,"date":"2023-03-15T15:31:25","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T15:31:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/?p=527"},"modified":"2024-03-05T15:48:59","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T15:48:59","slug":"strong-support-system-parking-lot-talks-and-determination-ensured-law-school-success-for-alumnus-raneil-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/2023\/03\/15\/strong-support-system-parking-lot-talks-and-determination-ensured-law-school-success-for-alumnus-raneil-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong support system, \u2018parking lot talks\u2019 and determination ensured law school success for alumnus Raneil Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Attorney

Attorney Raneil Smith<\/p><\/div>\n

While growing up in Bridgeport, Raneil Smith knew in his heart that one day he would be an attorney. Not for the prestige or the money, but so he could help people.<\/p>\n

The Warren Harding High School graduate enrolled at Housatonic Community College, which was just down the street from him, and earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. The next step was a bachelor\u2019s degree, and while he was also accepted to the University of Bridgeport and Southern Connecticut State University, he opted for the longer commute to Western Connecticut State University<\/a> because it offered a dedicated Division of Justice and Law Administration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal was to get to law school with little to no debt,\u201d Smith said. \u201cMy tuition at WCSU enabled me to get as far as possible while spending as little as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t just the cost savings that enabled Smith to realize his dream \u2014 it was the support he received from faculty, his family and his church that led him to where he is now as a practicing attorney with Miller, Rosnick, D\u2019Amico, August & Butler, P.C.<\/a> in Bridgeport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI graduated with my bachelor\u2019s in Justice and Law Administration in 2015 and I still remember all the professors I had at WCSU, especially Professor of Justice and Law Administration Terrence Dwyer<\/a>,\u201d Smith said. \u201cHe and I made a connection as soon as I met him, and he was always available to answer my questions about the steps needed to become a lawyer such as taking the LSATs and what was required by the Law School Admissions Council.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dwyer not only answered questions, he also encouraged Smith to keep trying when his first attempts at the LSATs fell short, and he challenged him repeatedly to defend his personal statement for law school applications, by asking, \u201cSince failure is always looming, how do you know being a lawyer is a guarantee?\u201d Smith\u2019s response: \u201cBecause I want it badly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said that in addition to the classroom instruction he received at WCSU, he was profoundly impacted by seeing faculty who enjoyed their work, believed in their students and supported their students\u2019 visions of themselves.<\/p>\n

\"Professor

Professor of Justice & Law Administration Terry Dwyer with Raneil Smith after his UConn Law School commencement.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI talked with Professor Dwyer as much as I could as we walked from class to our cars,\u201d Smith recalled. \u201cHe had a huge impact on my life and his belief in me gave me inspiration and kept my dream alive. When I was having a tough day at UConn Law School, he would tell me he wouldn\u2019t allow me to quit. He was just as emotionally invested in my vision as I was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith earned his Juris Doctor from UConn Law in 2019 and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar the same year. His first job was in the Public Defender\u2019s Office in Derby before he transitioned to personal injury. Both jobs have provided him the opportunity to \u201cspeak up and advocate for those who are unheard or can\u2019t speak for themselves\u201d \u2014 the reason he wanted to become a lawyer in the first place.<\/p>\n

\"Professor

Professor of Justice & Law Administration Terry Dwyer walks with Raneil Smith after his UConn Law School commencement.<\/p><\/div>\n

On the day of his law school commencement, Smith walked and talked with Dwyer in a parking lot as he had while a student at WCSU. His professor had come to see him graduate and celebrate the fulfillment of a dream. \u201cIt was like old times,\u201d Smith said. \u201cOnly now, we were both lawyers in the parking lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality \u00a0education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders\u00a0in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While growing up in Bridgeport, Raneil Smith knew in his heart that one day he would be an attorney. Not for the prestige or the money, but so he could help people. The Warren Harding High School graduate enrolled at …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":529,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8,6],"class_list":["post-527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-success-stories","tag-jla","tag-success-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/success-stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}