Law School Graduate and Her Classmates Stayed Grounded While Reaching for the Stars
Fortified with a strategy to take care of her well-being, Sara Zizak RLAW’25 met the challenges of law school head-on.
Sara Zizak is excited to walk as part of Rutgers Law School’s Class of 2025. She is the class president and will be the student speaker on commencement day.
Zizak is already employed as a medical malpractice law clerk at a firm in Pennsylvania and believes her future is bright. She is confident, direct, kind, smart, and funny. She has also made it a priority to take care of her well-being during law school; in this respect, she has been a role model for her fellow students.
According to the American Association of Law Schools (AALS), law students nationwide report an increasing need for mental health and wellness support while attending law school. The AALS also reports that law schools and law deans nationwide are responding to students’ wellness needs by developing new resources, expanding outreach, and listening to student requests for support.
“A work-life balance can be difficult to maintain while attending law school. I am not unusual because I felt that, but I found opportunities at Rutgers–Camden that helped me stay grounded and focused. Naturally, I wanted to share these coping skills with my classmates.”
— Sara Zizak RLAW’25
At Rutgers Law School in Camden and Newark, the associate deans of student affairs work with students to create a supportive environment and serve as a resource for students to navigate the opportunities and challenges of law school successfully.
On the Camden campus, Zizak said the Student Wellness Center has been a grounding outlet for herself and others because it provides space for law students to be heard and supported.
Stacy Haynes, a clinical and health educator at the Student Wellness Center, who helped to create the law student outreach program, said, “Students like Sara use our services to help manage stress.
“The Student Wellness Center recognizes the needs of law students and has created a program specifically for them. Wellness Wednesdays for Law Students provide programming in the law buildings to help meet students' needs.
“We introduce law students to wellness techniques; we teach stress management and show students how to manage their mental health while preparing for careers in law.”
Zizak has benefited from these offerings. “Law school is demanding, but so is life,” she said. “As a group, we went through personal experiences that allowed us to support each other and to create opportunities for bonding as friends.”
Zizak added that the Student Wellness Center was a game changer for her and her classmates. “I hope to maintain these close bonds after graduation. We have been through a great journey together.”
Zizak’s path to law school was not traditional, so she understood that getting there—and staying there—was not to be taken for granted.
Hailing from a small town outside of Pittsburgh, Zizak, 33, did not begin her undergraduate education until she was 27. “There was not huge pressure for me to pursue a degree, but that was not a negative,” she said. “However, I am the first in my family to undertake post-graduate studies.”
Yet, after working in consumer finance for a few years, Zizak felt the need for something more. She worked as a college administrator at Argosy University and began her undergraduate studies there. After two years as a part-time student, Zizak transferred to the University of Pittsburgh to study full-time, majoring in philosophy. Law school was the next step, and she believed she could succeed.
“I made wonderful connections at Rutgers Law School,” Zizak said. “And, together, we built a compassionate community. You never know what someone else is going through. Life doesn’t stop because you are in law school, but it was great to know support was available when needed.”
