Larry Hayman
By Lydia Wendel
Senior Political Science Pre-Law Major, Anthropology Minor, with a Certificate in Law, Justice & Culture
President of The Ohio University Mock Trial Team and ACLU of Ohio University
Matriculating to The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in the Fall
For the past five years, the Center for Law, Justice & Culture’s Pre-Law Advisor Larry Hayman, Esq. has led the Pre-Law Learning Community. Through his years of leadership in this course, he has been the first instructor for dozens of students during the most influential and transformative semester of their academic careers.
This year, he won the Outstanding Learning Community Instructor Award. In order to truly understand the experience of these students, and the effect that Hayman has had on them, six Bobcats share their experiences.
Hayman is also an Ohio University alum, having earned a B.A. in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the College of Arts & Sciences in 2003.
Taryn Osborne – Fall 2015
Taryn Osborne
Taryn Osborne, ’19 B.A., enrolled in Hayman’s Learning Community in 2015 and went on to serve as his Learning Community Leader for the next three years. Osborne earned her degree in Political Science Pre-Law with a minor in Spanish and a Certificate in Law, Justice & Culture. She is currently a 1L Case Western Reserve University Law School.
During her time at Ohio University, Osborne served as the President of the OHIO Mock Trial team and was a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, Alpha Gamma Delta, and Sigma Delta Pi Spanish Honor Society. She also served as Program Assistant for the Summer Law & Trial Institute, a program for high school students from Appalachia and directed by Hayman, in Summer 2018.
Osborne cites Hayman as one of the biggest reasons for her post-undergraduate success.
“After working with Larry closely for the majority of my four years at Ohio University, I was particularly exposed to notable alumni and legal professionals in and around Athens. Not only did I gain valuable connections, but I learned what it meant to be a legal professional and to network,” she says.
“I have found that so much of law school and the legal profession is who you know and being able to talk to new people and working with Larry allowed me to gain those skills before even leaving Athens.”
Regarding her time as the Pre-Law Learning Community’s Leader, Osborne says, “My favorite part of having been the Pre-Law Learning Community Leader was seeing the students excel at OU and beyond. I take pride in seeing the students take leadership positions in student organizations that were introduced to them through the Learning Community.
“The opportunity that I had to learn from Larry as a leader and a legal professional was my favorite part. Larry is an effective communicator of his expectations and holds his students to a high standard, but also has empathy and understanding.
“He is so approachable. I admire that and try to mirror Larry in my own leadership. I learned a lot from him, oftentimes, I can hear his voice in my head during law school, and I think that any and every pre-law student at Ohio University should take time to get to know and learn from Larry.”
Aissatou Boye – Fall 2016
Aissatou Boye
Aissatou Boye is an OHIO senior, studying Sociology-Criminology and African-American Studies with certificates in both Law, Justice & Culture and Diversity Studies. Boye was a member of the Pre-Law Learning Community during the 2016 fall semester.
Upon graduation, Boye intends to remain in Athens to complete a master’s before then heading off to law school.
Boye currently serves as the President of Phi Alpha Delta, Pre-Law Fraternity, of which Hayman is the adviser. Boye is also a member of the Undergraduate Black Law Association, and the Presidential Leadership Society.
“I enjoyed being in the Pre-Law Learning Community because it gave me a great foundation for my start here at Ohio University,” she says.
“Larry connected each of us with the resources we have available to us professionally, academically, and socially. He brought in different speakers and organizations helping us get acclimated with Athens, as well as what is housed within the Center for Law, Justice & Culture.
“Larry’s Learning Community is where I first learned about Phi Alpha Delta. Being able to join the fraternity with other members of the learning community allowed me a smooth transition to my time here at OHIO which was undeniably a part of why I wanted to serve as President of the organization.
“I appreciate how easy Larry is to talk to. I know that I could go to his office at any time to speak to him about anything, regardless of it is related to law. He is simultaneously an advisor, mentor, and confidant who I know I can run to if I ever need advice.”
Eden Tadesse – Fall 2017
Eden Tadesse is an OHIO Junior studying Communications with a focus in Public Advocacy, with a minor in Political Science and a Certificate in Law, Justice & Culture.
Tadesse notes that the Pre-Law Learning Community shaped her undergraduate experience here at Ohio University.
“Knowing we had a very successful lawyer in our corner was very beneficial; we felt very comfortable asking him various questions and advice for our futures,” Tadesse says, mentioning Hayman’s friendliness and helpfulness as her favorite parts about him.
Matt Kelley – Fall 2018
Matt Kelley is an OHIO Sophomore studying Political Science Pre-Law with a minor in Business Administration. Kelley is a member of Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity.
“My favorite part about the Learning Community was the sense of community that I found new friends that had the same ideas and major as me,” he says.
“The Pre-Law Learning Community was never boring, as we were constantly introduced to individuals in the legal field who gave us insight and valuable information on the career we all one day strive for.
Having Professor Hayman in my corner my first semester was astronomical. He was very welcoming and sparked my interest for my classes and future career.
“One thing I noticed immediately was that if you put in effort and worked hard, Professor Hayman would recognize this, and keep you in loop of events and opportunities that pertained to the legal field, as well as recommend internships to you.”
He describes Hayman as “very approachable and knowledgeable whenever someone has a question or concern regarding school or classes to take, as well as providing opportunities to strengthen your resume for law school.”
Overall, about how the Learning Community shaped his OHIO experience, Kelley notes, “The Pre-Law Learning Community is directly responsible for my success in my career at Ohio University. I’m still friends with the students I was in the course with, and we still enroll in courses and participate in organizations together.”
Hailey Gifford – Fall 2019
Hailey Gifford is an OHIO Freshman studying Political Science Pre-Law with a minor in Spanish. Gifford is a member of the Ohio University Mock Trial Team, Phi Alpha Delta, and the ACLU-OU, all organizations which Larry Hayman oversees.
“My favorite part about our learning community was that every event we had, all of us went. It was never just two or three people…it was usually the entire class. I think that having that group of friends really helped as I was coming into Athens not knowing anyone,” Gifford says.
“Larry was so helpful with everything that I ever had questions about, and not only that, but he was also interested in what we were doing outside of our classes and events.
“We had meetings with him (Hayman) throughout the semester and, in mine, we usually didn’t talk about academics: Larry’s main concern was always how I was adjusting and if there was anything he could do to help. Larry is genuinely interested in his students as people, rather than just students.
“Our learning community gave me some of my best friends and exposed me to opportunities like Mock Trial which I know is going to help me immensely throughout my time here at Ohio University, as well as through the rest of my entire life.”
Nick Bohuslawsky – Fall 2019
Nick Bohuslawky is an OHIO Freshman studying Political Science Pre-Law with a Certificate in Law, Justice & Culture. Bohuslawsky is a member of the OHIO Mock Trial team, as well as Phi Alpha Delta.
“The best part about the Learning Community was the opportunity it gave me to meet a lot of my closest friends, whether that be people from our class, or those I’ve found through Mock Trial and Phi Alpha Delta,” Bohuslawsky says.
The Ohio University Mock Trial team
“The Learning Community has immensely shaped my OHIO experience. Everything that I have done and experienced throughout my time here could likely somehow be traced back to the Learning Community, Larry, or the people in it.
“Larry is great. He really helped with networking and getting involved in law related events and organizations.
“Larry is real. You can talk to him at any time, and he genuinely cares and wants to help. He wants to see his students grow.”
Thank you.
On behalf of the students of the past classes of the Pre-Law Learning Community, those involved in Mock Trial, ACLU-OU, and Phi Alpha Delta, and all of the students interested in law who you have taught, advised, mentored, and counseled, students and alumni want to thank Hayman for all that he does on Ohio University’s campus.
Comments