Gibson Completes B.A. in Fall, M.A. in Spring in Accelerated Program

Isabela Gibson. Photo by Faith Lucas

Set to graduate a semester early, Isabela Gibson remembers why she was initially drawn to the M.A. in Law, Justice & Culture program: “I loved the focus of the program and how we could specialize our degree to what we wanted to learn about and explore.”

Gibson applied to the one-year master’s program and began her graduate studies while she was an undergraduate student at Ohio University. In fall 2020 she completed her undergraduate classes while simultaneously enrolling in two graduate courses. After graduating in December, she made the full transition into the master’s program this spring.

Now she’s ready to graduate again, completing her master’s in May, with plans to attend law school next fall.

Knowing that she wanted to major in journalism, Gibson was initially attracted to Ohio University because of the high-caliber program offered in the E.W. Scripps College of Journalism.

“I knew as soon as I set foot on campus that I could be successful here,” she says.

During her undergraduate career, she would go on to add a minor in Political Science, and a certificate in Law, Justice & Culture.

As an engaged student in and outside of the classroom, Gibson was the president of Alpha Kappa Alpha, incorporated the Delta Phi chapter, and served as the secretary for Black Student Communication Caucus.

In the transition to graduate school, she is thankful to have had the support of the Center for Law, Justice & Culture and its affiliated faculty.

“My route to the master’s program is untraditional in a broader sense, and I am glad that they have made it easy for me to succeed by helping me through the more difficult questions I may have in the most caring way,” she says.

As for her graduate classes, she has very much enjoyed LJC 6965: Legal Practice Workshop with Professor Larry Hayman. The course trains students in the fundamentals of legal research, legal analysis, and legal writing, all within the context of a law and society program.

“The course is very interesting to me, and he has made the information easy to understand and apply as we move forward,” Gibson says. “I think this program will provide me with a stepping stone to my next steps and will help me ensure that I am prepared. While I think my undergraduate experience was great, I think there is so much more to be learned before entering other graduate programs and a job, and this program is helping me to do that.”