In the face of the rising cost of higher education, some young people opt to enlist in the military rather than go straight to college. For current FIU Law student Zachary Danney, this path not only helped him become the first in his family to graduate high school and go to college but also the first to go to law school.
“I’m here thanks to scholarships,” Danney said, “After using the GI Bill that I earned from the Marine Corps on my undergraduate studies, it was the scholarships at FIU that provided me the opportunity to further my career and end up going on this path, where I'll be the first lawyer in my family.”
Journey to Law School
Danney enlisted in the United States Marine Corps straight out of high school. He served in the Marines for five years before deciding to step back to pursue a college education. Because of his service, he was now eligible for grants aimed at aiding veteran students, and this helped him complete his undergraduate degree in business administration in May 2022. Soon after, he set his sights on law school.
“Pursuing law actually didn't occur to me until the end of my undergraduate studies, when I got exposed to the intersection of business and law,” Danney said, “I also developed a love for and a passion for advocating for others. I was in spaces where I was advocating for other veteran students, and in those spaces, I realized this is something I want to do.”
Danney chose to transfer to FIU Law to pursue his JD, because he genuinely believes it is the best law school in South Florida. However, the scholarships he receives make it possible for him to participate in different student organizations and programs, which have helped him grow as an aspiring lawyer.
“The scholarship is what is allowing me to study and to pursue these passions and interests of mine, and I've been able to do a lot with it while I've been here,” Danney shared, “So far, I've earned a place on FIU Law’s prestigious Law Review and the Moot Court competition team. I've interned for a federal judge for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and in the summer, I will be working for a firm practicing areas of business law that are particularly interesting to me.”
Making an Impact
This semester, Danney is working at FIU Law’s Business Innovation & Technology Clinic, supporting local small businesses and non-profits with their needs. Knowing he’s helping fellow South Floridians and making an impact on his community has empowered him. He believes the hands-on, experiential learning opportunities at FIU Law have been one of the most valuable aspects of his education.
“The best way to learn, in my opinion, is by doing, and FIU law has allowed me to do just that,” Danney said, “Developing attention to detail and practicing my oral advocacy, my public speaking and writing—it's been the most beneficial portion of my legal education.”
Thanks to the financial support he’s received at FIU Law, he’s also been able to take the time to help other aspiring law students through the FIU Law Path program. Through this program, Danney has mentored several undergraduates through the lengthy law school application process.
“It really inspires me because I see how hard they're working, and it inspires me to work harder,” Danney said, “It makes me really grateful that I'm in a position to help people like them…My mentees have had things that they've had to overcome, and being in this position where I'm able to help them is a really proud moment for me.”
Looking Forward
As Danney gets closer to graduation, he’s developed a few different aspirations. Once he begins practicing, he hopes to be able to explore various sectors of law.
“What I’d really like to do immediately, once I graduate, is work for a little bit, gain some experience at a firm,” Danney shared, “Then, when I'm at a position where I've collected enough experience to be helpful to a judge, I really aspire to clerk for a judge at the federal level.”
Ideally, he’d also like to work his way up to being able to do pro-bono work and help small businesses. Additionally, he still has his heart set on using his skills for veteran advocacy sometime in the future. “The veteran population specifically, they have unique needs, and a lot of the time, those needs can be addressed with legal solutions,” Danney explained, “Being a veteran myself, it's something that's close to my heart.”
None of this would be possible for Danney without the support of scholarships, which helped open the door to higher education for him. With the knowledge and skills he is developing at FIU Law, he hopes to make his own mark on the legal world.
“The impact that you're making through to these donations are not just allowing students to study but also allowing students to go forward and make a life for themselves,” Danney said, “Enabling someone to be in these spaces is so powerful…There's so many people, such as myself, who come from backgrounds where, otherwise these opportunities would never happen for them.”