Years from now, if the law firm of Simmering, Camplin, Wyrick, Simpson, Bevens, and Kirk opens up, the origin story will be traced back to William Peace University.
Those six students—Christopher Simmering II, Viv Camplin, Ashley Wyrick, Madeline Simpson, Madeline Bevens, Mackenzie Kirk—all graduated in May of 2025.
All applied for and were accepted into various law schools, a fantastic accomplishment for the school’s pre-law department.
Dr. Elizabeth Kusko is the Program Director for criminal justice, political science, and pre-law at Peace. Kusko said this was one of the largest groups from the department that made it known they wanted to pursue law school, and all of them got in.
“It’s definitely exceptional for us,” Kusko said.
The six graduates will attend:
- Simmering – University of North Carolina
- Camplin – Elon University
- Wyrick and Simpson – Campbell University
- Bevens – University of Oregon
- Kirk – Jacksonville University
PREPARATION AT PEACE
Kusko said Simmering was the first Peace graduate to attend law school at UNC in 10 years. Camplin, a double major in political science and pre-law, received a full scholarship to Elon and is a first-generation law student, crediting Kusko, along with Dr. Caleb Husmann and Irma Alvarez, for helping guide her through the process.
“The demands can be very daunting,” Camplin said. “I did not know where to begin, or felt that I was capable of earning such a prestigious career. It was with these professors’ encouragement and support that I was able to navigate the process and build my confidence.”
Wyrick, who double majored in political science and psychology, had long known that she wanted to pursue a career in law. Taking classes under Kusko and Husmann, an Associate Professor of political science, furthered her interest, and an internship last summer with a defense attorney in her hometown sealed it.
“Being in those classes kept my interest high,” Wyrick said. “Specifically, Constitutional Law and Congress may have been the two classes that I enjoyed the most, which opened my eyes to different facets of law and how the system works.”
Wyrick would advise future law students to secure an internship in the legal field to gain a sense of the day-to-day work of law, and if it’s the right fit.
“Learning about the law is great,” Wyrick said. “But I think getting real-world exposure is so important because it gives you a realistic preview of what your future may look like.”
Camplin encourages potential law students to start reading immediately if that’s the field they wish to pursue.
“Your ability to process information quickly is the most important skill for the LSAT,” Camplin said. “Become a good reader, and a quick one.”
HELPING EACH OTHER
Kusko said the department has done a great job of creating a unique curriculum to set students up for success in law school. Kusko provided an example of a former student, currently attending Elon Law, returning and sharing how friends in their law program, from larger programs and Ivy League schools, come to the Peace grad for help.
Husmann has a theory on why Peace students are successful in law school.
“I think they (Peace grads) are more prepared because we have small classes and our classes are very discussion-oriented,” Husmann said. “They are extremely comfortable engaging with any content and having fruitful disagreements and debates. They’ve done that all four years at Peace. I think it’s a huge benefit just being at a smaller school and in an environment like our classes, where we start tough discussions on day one.”
Kusko said it happens once every four or five years that a group comes in so engaged. Since this particular cohort walked through the door, they were involved, starting a Civic Order Club and a Political Science Club.
They were also well-rounded.
Camplin, Wyrick, Simpson, Bevens, and Kirk were all student-athletes. Simmering and Kirk were a part of the Ethics Bowl team. Inside the classroom, they all helped push each other towards their goal.
“It was a cohort that worked together, and learned from each other and engaged with each other,” Husmann said. “I think one success begets the other success down the line. They helped each other.”
