The End of SUG 2010

The Summer for Undergraduates Program 2010 has come to a close.

It is for the students themselves to say how successful the program was, but I believe we had a positive and lasting impact. My thanks go out to Dean Daniels for hiring me as a mentor again. Like last year, she did an outstanding job running the program. Also, her office assistant, Sarah Lowe, deserves a lot of credit. Sarah performed much of the behind-the-scenes work to keep the program running smoothly, but the students did not get to know her that well. My fellow mentors worked very hard during the program. No one of us had to carry an undue share of the work load.

As I told students at the closing reception on Thursday night, this is a fun job and an easy job for me. It is fun and easy because the students are the ones who make it so. It is a pleasure to work with bright and positive people who have their whole lives ahead of them. I encouraged the students to stay positive and to stay curious as they progress through their college years and then on into their careers.

A few students asked me what the differences were between their group and the one I mentored last year. Honestly, there is not much difference. I made good friends in each of the last two SUG classes. Both classes are filled with enormous potential.

I'll take a stab at some humor to point out some differences, though. A couple of students in this year's class had a few zingers for me that I did not hear last year- zingers of a sort that are new to me.

On the first day of the program, before he even said "Hello" to me, one student came up and commented, "So I notice you're a bit older." When another SUG participant beside him chided him about this, the student responded to her, "What? He knows he's old. He can look in the mirror."

But I quickly got to know this student and appreciated his humor and perspective. We had some interesting conversations, and he kept me entertained with his sarcastic insights into some of our events.

Another student this year was also a master of sarcasm. As I ate dinner with him and some others one evening, I told them about my experience as a park ranger at Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia.

"Wow," he said as he continued looking down and eating his food. "That battle must be a really great memory for you."

It took me a couple of seconds to catch on. After a laugh, I went on to explain that I have a great great grandfather who fought for the Confederacy. The student (who is African-American) asked with enthusiasm, "Do you have his picture on your wall?"

But perhaps the best zinger came from a student who meant to do no such thing. The two of us were riding in my car to visit one of the local law firms. He was asking me all sorts of questions about law school when suddenly he threw in, "So, if you don't mind, can I ask how old you are?"

I told him. There was a pause. He shifted uneasily in the passenger seat before asking, "You ever feel like the years are just... passing you by?"

These are just a few isolated moments of humor at my expense. Despite their sharp wit, these same students saw fit to elect me as the outstanding mentor, so I guess my age did not act as too much of a handicap in being a positive influence on them. The students also gave me very nice cards and a gift.

This job was a blast, and I wish it could last all summer.

I also wish the very best to the students of SUG 2010. This program will be a really great memory for me, and I hope for them, too.

Whether they go to law school or not, our aim was to give the students insight into all the options a legal education provides. We also sought to help them shape their individual goals.

To the students, it was a pleasure meeting you all. Good luck to you.

Your favorite (and oldest) mentor,

Nathan Marshburn