All law students – including MSL students – are encouraged to participate in public service activities – giving back to the community is an important component of the student experience. The Law School encourages students to engage in public service activities of interest to them – to get out into their communities and make a positive impact. All MSL residential and online students have been active participants in the public service program, with many dedicating significantly more than the suggested 15 hour minimum; indeed, some MSL students have dedicated hundreds of hours to community service during their time at Northwestern.

Even with such extraordinary contributors, the work of one MSL student really stands out. A year ago, Javier Jara, a part-time MSL student completing a post-doc at the Feinberg School of Medicine, launched an initiative to knit scarves to donate to a local Chicago homeless charity. Over the span of a year, Javier and his fellow MSL classmates demonstrated their commitment and determination in knitting 50 (!) comfy, colorful, and – most importantly – warm scarves using Javier’s personal knitting machine.

After a year of knitting, this holiday season, Javier and his classmates reached their goal of 50 scarves. During the Thanksgiving week, Javier and MSL student Andrea Solis delivered the labor of love scarves to the Inspiration Corporation, a non-profit that helps people affected by homelessness and poverty.

We continue to be impressed by the quality and quantity of the community service work of our MSL students; we are especially grateful in this holiday season to have such amazing and generous students as part of our community. Here’s to a warm and wonderful start to 2020!