Headed to Cornell Law, Student Athlete and Social Justice Leader Credits Success to Political Science Dept.

Dalton Sousa ’22, a Political Science major and Philosophy minor who transferred to RWU his junior year, is headed to Cornell Law School in Ithaca, N.Y., this fall. As a way to give back to his community, Sousa hopes to become a public defender after law school, he said. 

Hands-on Political Experience: “The Political Science department set me up for success with the LSAT and getting into law school. Having a state representative, June Speakman, working in the department (has been beneficial). I work for a Michigan state senator, Adam Hollier. The department helped me get that internship, which I’ve had for a year and a half. We’re trying to pass legislation to help change the jury selection process and make it more equitable. It’s been an awesome experience.”  

A Leader in Activism: “I am the president and founder of the Justice in Action Athletic Alliance, a social justice initiative in athletics. We create open spaces and open dialogues. We’ve touched on sexual assault within the athletic community, bias within athletics, and mental health in athletes. We’ve been getting more engagement from more teams. We’re trying to make athletics a little bit better on campus and change the culture on campus. I didn’t talk about social justice issues before I got to RWU. I gained a lot of experience.”  

Lessons from Athletics: “Being on the Men’s Swimming & Diving team was the best experience I had at Roger. Coach Emmert has done a lot to help us all grow as students, athletes, and people, for us to leave better than when we came in. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. to be at practice taught us a lot of discipline. It was crucial in my development as a student, to keep me focused and on track. I credit a lot of my success to the coaches and being part of this program.”  

Sousa is from Carver, Mass. At RWU, he is also a member of the Multicultural Student Union and Barbershop Club.  

Every May, as Commencement nears, RWU spotlights members of the graduating class. Suggestions are welcome. Email: stories@rwu.edu