Meet Yardley Borten ’25L and Sadie Mapstone ’25L, Head Kirgis Fellows The Kirgis Fellow program is a mentoring program designed to assist first-year and transfer students with the adjustment to law school.

By Law Communications
October 18, 2024

The Kirgis Fellow program is a mentoring program designed to assist first-year and transfer students with the adjustment to law school by providing guidance and advice about academics, the job search process, and life in Lexington. The Kirgis Fellows are second-year law students who mentor a first-year, small-section class. Two Kirgis Fellows are assigned to each small section. The Head Kirgis Fellows, Yardley Borten and Sadie Mapstone, are two third-year law students, and former Kirgis Fellows, who lead the program and serve as Kirgis Fellows to transfer students.

What are the goals of the Kirgis Fellows program?

Kirgis Fellows play a large role during Orientation and share their perspective as experienced students throughout the year. Over the course of regular meetings, Kirgis Fellows meet with first-year students to discuss study strategies, summer jobs, law school exams, coping with the stress of law school, and the traditions that make W&L Law unique. In addition, Kirgis Fellows are available throughout the year to answer questions and to provide support to first-year students. Students are encouraged to keep in touch with their Kirgis Fellows and ask for help and advice as they encounter questions and challenges during their first year of law school.

One of the main goals of the Kirgis Fellow program is to connect every single student with someone who will act as a resource, support system, and cheerleader throughout their first year and beyond. We hope the Kirgis Fellows serve as a friendly face for all of the new members of our W&L Law community, creating a foundation of encouragement for our students to find their feet within this community and thrive in this academic space.

What are typical events that are scheduled over the year for the 1L students?

We aim for each Kirgis Fellow team to hold two events per semester with their section of 1L students. These events are meant to give students the opportunity to connect with each other, their Kirgis Fellows, and to interact in a more informal way. Events have ranged from section dinners, happy hours, hikes, cookouts, field days, and game nights. We encourage collaboration between Kirgis Fellow sections for joint events!

The Head Kirgis Fellows also aim to hold two events each semester for the Kirgis Fellow cohort. This is a great way for the team to bond, connect, and create a “one-team” mentality.

How do you think the Kirgis Fellow program impacts the W&L Law community?

The Kirgis Fellow program is essential to cultivating the culture that makes W&L Law so special. W&L Law is wonderfully situated as a collaborative, welcoming, and supportive community of incredible individuals; the Kirgis Fellows are integral in fostering a sense of collective responsibility to maintain that community with each new set of students we eagerly welcome to campus. The Fellows exemplify the best parts of the community—friendship, encouragement, a deep engagement with your peers—leading by example to bring the new students into the fold of what it really means to be a member of this community and how we must each support that culture with our own actions. By enforcing that sense of togetherness in each small-section, the Kirgis Fellows supply the whole of each new class with the tools to nurture this special community culture.

What does the mentorship in this program look like for 1L students throughout the year?

The Mentorship program starts as soon as the students arrive on campus. During Orientation, each small section meets with their Kirgis Fellows twice. These initial meetings are mostly about introductions, highlighting social and community events, and laying out an overview of the fall semester timeline. The Kirgis fellows hold four additional workshops throughout the fall semester. These workshops are timed to hit on the most pressing topics on 1Ls minds, including wellness, case briefing, outlining, and preparing for exams. In addition to these group workshops, the Kirgis Fellows hold one-on-one meetings with every student in their small section. Lastly, each section will have two planned events a semester. Apart from these formal touch points, the Kirgis Fellows are available in an as-needed basis.

In the spring semester, the Kirgis Fellows hold three more workshops concentrating on grade processing, 1L job search, and 2L registration. And again, they conduct one-on-one meetings with each student and hold two social events.

It is important to note that a Kirgis Fellow’s role never stops. Students will continue (and are encouraged) to continue reaching out throughout their time at W&L and beyond. I (Sadie) still reach out to Taylor Roberson, the 2023-24 Head Kirgis Fellow, for advice. I (Sadie) also still have current 2Ls who were in my Kirgis section reach out about jobs/classes/life advice.

The Kirgis program does a great job setting up formal mentorship, but the informal touchpoints are just as (if not more) important.

Is there anything else to share about the organization?

It is an incredible program that we both feel so honored to be a part of! It plays a huge role in what makes W&L Law so special. Our goal going into our role as Kirgis Fellows/Head Kirgis Fellows was to leave this community a little better than we found it.