Mallorie Marsan, a pre-law CLA student, has set her sights on helping to balance the scales of justice.
Marsan's commitment to serving her community is evident in her studies as well as her extracurricular activities.
Photo by Ryan S. Brandenberg
On the surface, Mallorie Marsan’s achievements might look like those of any high-achieving pre-law student—president of the pre-law division of the Black Law Students Association, career peer, English and political science double major. But digging deeper into her academic interests—public health research and youth organizing—brings her story into focus. Part of the first generation in her family to attend college, she has her eyes on the prize: graduating a semester early, then heading to law school.
But what drives this classroom/courtroom superstar? Court is in session!
Nutshell: Hi Mallorie! Can you tell me a bit about your involvement on campus?
Mallorie Marsan: I’m the president of the Black Law Students Association, Pre-law Division. That’s my biggest commitment. I was a career peer at the Resnick Center for about a year, and then I moved to being a career peer in the Salzberg Center, which is CLA’s professional development center.
I’ve been a research assistant in the College of Public Health for over a year now, studying kidney health disparities in Black and brown communities in Philadelphia, because I have an interest in public health law and medical racism. I was happy to continue similar research that I did as a research fellow with the African American Policy Forum in this role.
NS: Interesting; what got you interested in public health?
MM: I have always had an interest in public health in general. I am Haitian, and Haiti has dealt with many public health issues for as long as I can remember; since I was a kid. So, I always had a drive for public health, particularly in Black and brown communities but especially in immigrant communities.
NS: Tell me more about the community service you do off campus.
MM: I’ve been a political organizer with Rhizome, which is a nonprofit organization, since 2023. I’ve worked in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin within that organization, helping high schoolers create events to change their community in the ways they want to see: speaking to school boards, doing community cleanups, raising money to help the homeless populations in their communities, basically anything they need to do to create change in their academic and living spaces. I also regularly volunteer with Gift of Life Howie’s House, a center for kidney transplant patients.
NS: Cool! What was your role with Rhizome like?
MM: For two years I was a community organizer, so I was working directly with high schoolers. But this year I’m a regional organizer, meaning I oversee the community organizers. I found out about it through an internship I did in high school, and I’ve been doing it since the summer I graduated.
NS: Wow, that’s impressive! As a first-generation student, who or what inspired you to work so hard and achieve so much in such a short time?
MM: I mentioned earlier that I’m Haitian. Both of my parents immigrated from Haiti when they were young. My two older brothers and I are among the first generation in our family to earn traditional college degrees. My mom is a nurse, and my dad has a construction company with his brother. I always thought, seeing them do what they need to do in a situation that was much worse than mine is right now, “I can’t complain about where I am.”
And then on top of that, I can’t not do great things with what I was given, because otherwise it feels like they came here for nothing. Especially because my mom is a nurse, and nurses have insane hours. She works 16 hours a day, so I can’t say “I’m tired,” because guess what? She’s more tired. And my dad, working at different construction sites, will wake up 5 a.m. and drive hours around Pennsylvania, not getting home until 6 or 7 p.m. So, I think that’s what keeps me going. My motto is “It could always be worse,” because, well, it could always be worse.
NS: That’s true. What are your goals for after college?
MM: Definitely law school. I have always wanted to be an attorney—there’s never been any other job on my mind, ever. One of the first real memories I have of wanting to help people was in 2010 (I was born in 2005), when there was a devastating, horrific earthquake in Haiti. One of my first memories is volunteering with my mom, helping with the efforts to assist the Haitian community. And even though we were collecting money and clothes, I always felt like there was something more that I could be doing.
As I got a little older, I took solace in the belief that the legal system could make change. In elementary school, you learn about civil rights casually, but not to its fullest extent. I was also learning about some of the policies that led to the destruction of Haiti from my parents at home. I learned how the law functions, how it can either help or dismantle entire societal structures. So I thought being able to use it the way I saw fit would be the best way possible to help my people.
There’s no other field that I thought would help to that extent. I thought about being a nurse briefly because my mom encouraged me to, with job security and all that, but I don’t think there’s any other field where I can create as much change as I think I can make as a lawyer.
NS: Have you started thinking about what type of law you want to practice?
MM: In addition to public health law, I’ve thought about immigration law quite a bit. I think being an immigration attorney is one of the most pinpointed, specialized ways you can help immigrants. So I definitely want to go to law school, but it’s where I end up afterward that’s still up in the air. But any type of law that I practice, my goal is to create equity for Black people in general.
NS: What made you choose 51Թ?
MM: I had actually committed to another school, in Hartford, and 51Թ was my brother’s dream school. I didn’t really get it because we were living in Bucks County, and I didn’t understand why he wanted to go somewhere so close to home. I got a full ride to a school in Hartford but I had never even visited the town, and I liked Philadelphia. And while there were a few other schools that had given me scholarship options, 51Թ just seemed to fit moneywise and locationwise. I really did not want to be in the suburbs; I didn’t want to be in a school that wasn’t diverse. 51Թ was diverse and close enough to home where I can be away but still come back to visit my family.
When I got here, I realized what 51Թ really was and tried to make the most of it. I was also really busy in high school, so I knew I would be very involved wherever I went. But 51Թ gave me opportunities like an internship at City Hall the summer after my first year. It’s a great choice.