The University of Houston Law Center welcomed Mariesha Keys this fall as the new director of the award-winning Pre-Law Pipeline Programs, a race-neutral initiative designed to increase the representation of law students from low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented backgrounds.
Keys succeeds founding director Kristen Guiseppi, who stepped down after nine years of service. Under Guiseppi’s leadership, the Pipeline Programs was recognized for its excellence by the ABA and the UH Board of Regents, and more than 140 students from a wide variety of backgrounds were accepted into law schools garnering millions of dollars of scholarships and significantly increasing their LSAT scores.
“UH Law has the good fortune that Mariesha Keys will be filling Kristen's very big shoes. Mariesha has devoted her life to public service and for the past few years served as the Law Center’s Assistant Director of Admissions. Mariesha has the passion and the skills to continue Kristen's important legacy and work,” said UH Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes.
Keys, a 2019 alumna of the Law Center, was in the Pipeline Program’s inaugural class.
“The Pre-Law Pipeline Programs provided invaluable experience and exposure to all facets of the legal profession and solidified my interest and desire to attend law school. As the newly appointed director of this dynamic, national, award-winning program, I am proud of our scholars’ achievements,” Keys said. “I aim to continue the legacy and impact of the Pre-Law Pipeline Programs."
UHLC Dean Leonard M. Baynes, right, says goodbye to Pre-Law Pipeline Programs Founding director Kristen Guiseppi, left, during her fall farewell reception.
Since the launch of the first pipeline program in 2015, students who participated in the LSAT prep curriculum have seen a median LSAT score increase of 6-14 points with the highest individual LSAT score increase of 27 points. College students from over 100 undergraduate institutions have participated in the program during its lifespan.
The award-winning Pre-Law Pipeline Program has been recognized by the American Bar Association with the 2019 Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander Award for Excellence in Pipeline Diversity, honored by the University of Houston Board of Regents with an Academic Excellence Award, cited in the Law Center’s INSIGHT Into Diversity’s Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award and received a Congressional Recognition from the 18th Congressional District of Texas. The program receives support from several partner institutions and sponsors, including AccessLex and LSAC.
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