For many, the path to law school begins with a four-year college degree. For others, it follows years of work, family, or other life experiences. At the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, where the average first-year student is 24 years old, eight members of this year’s incoming JD classes are starting law school at just 19 or 20 years old. Seven are part of the full-time JD Class of 2029, while one is enrolled in the Hybrid Evening JD Program and will graduate with the Class of 2030. 

“In the past, we had only had one or two students (if any) who begin their law school career under the age of 21, but the number of younger students has increased over the last couple of years,” said Assistant Dean of Students, Community, and Belonging Leah Adams. 

The eight students took different routes to arrive at McGeorge. Some earned college credits while still in high school, while others accelerated their undergraduate degrees through heavy course loads. Their reasons for pursuing law are just as varied, from a passion for advocacy and criminal justice to an interest in government and a desire to help others. 

For Connor Alcala ’29, the accelerated path began in middle school. 

“In middle school, I was already taking a couple of high school classes, specifically my math class and my language class,” Alcala said.  

He went on to take 10 AP classes in high school, earning about 70 college credits, before attending community college and the University of California, Irvine. He overloaded his schedule at UC Irvine to complete his bachelor’s degree in one year. 

“I feel like I've always had a sense of when things are right. I don't like when things are wrong, with a strong sense of justice is how I would describe it. I like when things are fair,” Alcala said. 

Jaliah Payne ’29 also started college ahead of her peers. Payne said she was moved from fourth to fifth grade early in elementary school and later graduated high school with 45 community college credits. Those credits helped her complete her political science degree at the University of California, Davis in three years. 

“I earned my bachelor's degree and started law school at 19. I will turn 20 in October,” Payne said. 

Her interest in advocacy grew through her experiences with student government and the Solano County Public Defender’s Office. 

“During this experience, I learned about the struggles faced by formerly incarcerated individuals and that motivated me to pursue a career path where I could directly impact the carceral system,” Payne said. 

Payne hopes to practice public interest, civil rights or government law. She is also interested in public policy and potentially running for office. 

Payne also chose McGeorge in part because of the community and opportunities available in Sacramento. 

“I chose McGeorge because of its location, its community, and for the opportunities it can open in government law,” Payne said. 

Emma Garrison ’29 took 24 units each semester at community college before transferring to California State University, Fresno, allowing her to complete her undergraduate degree in two and a half years. 

“I ended up just taking a ton of units every semester. The two semesters I was there I took 24 units a semester to max out and then be able to transfer,” Garrison said.  

Garrison said her interest in law was shaped in part by her family’s appreciation for the legal system and what it represents. 

“I just want to be an attorney to help uphold the American system, and the principles it was founded on,” Garrison said.  

Lauren Bigwood ’29 entered the University of California, San Diego with dual-enrollment credits from high school and completed her undergraduate degree in just over two years. 

“I started taking like 20 units a quarter to get done quicker,” Bigwood said. 

Bigwood said that social and criminal justice are topics that 

Her interest in law developed through mock trial, where she discovered how much she enjoyed being in the courtroom and advocating for a case. 

“I loved being in the courtroom. I loved advocating. I loved doing both sides of it, but I loved advocating for a case,” Bigwood said.  

Bigwood’s passion for social and criminal justice has inspired her to pursue a career where she can advocate for meaningful change. 

“I'm very passionate about social justice and criminal justice, and I feel like being in law is a great way to advocate for what you want to see change,” Bigwood said. 

Bigwood hopes to pursue criminal justice reform and said McGeorge’s smaller class sizes and Sacramento location were important factors in her decision to go to McGeorge. 

For Haylie Iniguez ’29, who graduated from California State University, Fresno in just two years, continuing directly from her undergraduate studies into law school felt like the natural next step. 

When asked what advice she would give to other students ages 19 or 20 who are interested in attending law school early, Iniguez encouraged them to keep going and take advantage of the momentum they have. 

“If you're that young and you have the opportunity to keep going, just like I did undergrad and straight into graduate school, I would recommend that. Keep the momentum going, keep your brain sharp,” Iniguez said. 

Karylle Correa ’29, who graduated from the University of California, Irvine, also knew early on that she wanted to continue her education. Her older sister, an attorney, helped shape her understanding of what a legal career could offer. 

“My sister's an attorney, so she's always just really inspired me and just always showed me what the law can do and how it can benefit us as people and how we're able to learn from the law and how it can be useful as a tool in everyday life,” Correa said. 

Correa has always been interested in family law, but she is keeping an open mind as she begins law school and explores other areas, including entertainment law. 

“That was always my plan to go into family law, but I'm still exploring. I've been also looking at entertainment options,” Correa said. 

Lana Ahmadi ’29, who graduated from California State University, Sacramento, is the oldest daughter in an immigrant family. She said navigating the path to law school was something she had to figure out largely on her own. 

“I’m the oldest daughter of immigrants and neither my parents went to college. So, this was kind of difficult to navigate,” Ahmadi said.  

Ahmadi is interested in pursuing criminal law, an interest that grew through an internship with the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office last fall. 

“I feel like I could make a difference there. I could maybe make someone's life a little bit easier,” Ahmadi said.  

Ahmadi said McGeorge stood out because of the sense of community she experienced during the admissions process. 

“At every event that I've came to since being admitted, there’s this strong sense of community, and I really, really like that,” Ahmadi said.  

Ammal Elmashni ’30, an evening student, works as a legal videographer and became interested in criminal justice after learning about wrongful convictions.  

“I think the injustices in the system really intrigued me, and I feel like I had discovered it when I was maybe 15 or 16. I don't know why it never occurred to me before that that happens to people. They go to jail for things they didn't do,” Elmashni said.  

For Elmashni, being one of the youngest students is also a reminder of how much she has already accomplished. 

“Even if you feel like you're struggling, because sometimes I do feel like this is a little bit much. At the end of the day, you made it here and you're younger. So, just be proud of yourself and just know that you accomplished that and you've made it this far and you can keep pushing through,” Elmashni said.  

She hopes to become a defense attorney, potentially starting as a public defender, where she can work with people who have been treated unfairly by the justice system. 

Although they may be among the youngest students in their classrooms, the eight students are entering law school with clear goals and a strong sense of what they hope to accomplish. Their interests range from criminal justice and civil rights to government, public policy and advocacy.   

However, the eight students joining McGeorge this year are not the first to begin their legal education at a young age. Last year, Roxanne Wright ‘28 began her law school career at 19, making her the only student in her incoming class to start law school under the age of 21. Read the full article here.