Ben Marvin-Vanderryn, 3L
Ben Marvin-Vanderryn has always enjoyed being a generalist. His undergraduate liberal arts education exposed him to various subjects, including introductory legal classes. Later, he worked as a press secretary in the US Senate, where he received a high-level view of many policy areas. “Both experiences solidified the prospect of law school for me,” he says.
Before matriculating at the Law School, Marvin-Vanderryn repeatedly heard from students and graduates that Michigan Law is a positive place with an excellent community. “I’d never set foot in the state of Michigan before applying to law school, but those conversations put the school on my radar,” he says. “I was conscious of debt and what that would mean for me in the real world, but receiving my scholarship pushed my decision over the edge.”
There was no better way to show me that I am wanted at Michigan Law than through this scholarship—it made me comfortable taking a leap in my academic career.”
During his 1L summer, Marvin-Vanderryn interned with the US Attorney’s office in Rhode Island. Because the office was smaller, he was able to work across all departments, allowing him to see the breadth of what the office and the assistant US attorneys were doing. This past summer, he was a summer associate with Latham and Watkins, and he will join their DC office after graduation before clerking on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2025.
Marvin-Vanderryn’s experience with Michigan Law professors left a positive impact on him. Among others in the Michigan Law community, his professors offered support during the clerkship and firm application process, which he says made it understandable and enjoyable. “That’s something Michigan does well; it’s a friendly environment while remaining high-achieving,” he says.