Why We Joined WLC: Reflections from the 2025-26 Executive Board
Celeste Harms (President): Being involved in WLC has been one of the highlights of my time at Northwestern Law. Through the organization, I built lasting friendships, connected with inspiring alumnae, judges, and practitioners, found incredible mentors, and developed confidence in my leadership abilities. I love being part of a community that empowers women at every stage of their legal careers, while creating opportunities to engage with important issues, grow professionally, expand our networks, and give back. Serving in a leadership role gave me the chance to help bring those opportunities to life and foster the kinds of meaningful connections and experiences that make law school so rewarding. My experience in WLC helped me grow as a leader and future attorney, and I would wholeheartedly encourage any student to get involved.
Mia Gaddis (Vice President): Serving on the WLC Executive Board was one of my most fulfilling law school experiences. Coordinating a variety of events with attorneys and practitioners expanded my network of legal professionals, and I got to grow closer to my classmates. I also loved working on programming that directly supported women in the legal community, which made the work feel meaningful and exciting. I'd encourage any 1L to get involved because leadership roles in WLC offer both personal growth and a strong sense of purpose in law school.
Reema Ukani (Communications Director): WLC Comms was probably one of the coolest gigs to have! You have a pretty bird's-eye view on all things happening within WLC. Also, Comms Director gets reach to half the student body in one go, which is incredible for personal networking. I made so many friends along the way!
Sissi Zheng (Alumni Relations Director): Being on the WLC board gave me an opportunity to organize really meaningful events like the Student-Alumni mixer and the Thriving as a Parent in Law panel, which allowed students to learn from the wisdom of our amazing alumni and alumni to stay connected with WLC! I also enjoyed interviewing and getting to know a few of our amazing recent alumni. Their stories are always inspiring. Finally, I was able to connect with fellow board members as we worked on meaningful events and programming together (shoutout to our amazing leader queens Celeste Harms and Mia Gaddis)!
Molly Datena (Mentorship Director): WLC gave me the opportunity to help foster female mentorship in our law school community. I loved being able to match 1Ls with mentors who could support and be a resource to them as they navigated their first year of law school. It was really rewarding to hear when mentorship pairings resulted in new friends, or how members have continued to connect with their mentors/mentees. Regardless of the position, being part of WLC as a 1L Rep or board member is a great way to meet other women in different sections/years!
Lauren Monkewicz (Professional Development Director): WLC board service is a great experience for so many reasons, especially to develop useful skills and make a difference! Being a Professional Development Director is very rewarding — you get to assist 1Ls directly in their career search and make it a little less stressful. It's helpful to be an excellent communicator via email, organized, and have experience with event planning or spreadsheet creation for the role. It takes a decent amount of time outside of school but is still super manageable with other board positions, journal, et cetera. Would recommend!!