The Law Is on His Side
Sept. 15, 2014
Getzy Berger '14 received the prestigious AnBryce Scholarship, which will cover the full cost of tuition as he studies law for the next three years at the New York University (NYU) School of Law. The law school's current tuition is over $55,000 a year.
Berger, who graduated this past June with a degree in political science, is one of only 12 students (out of 500 applicants and 35 finalists) to receive the award this year. It is given to outstanding students who are the first in their families to attend graduate school and who demonstrate a commitment to civic leadership.
"I'm very grateful to Brooklyn College, its staff, and faculty. I received a top-notch education at a very affordable price," Berger reflects. "Many of the students I will be working alongside at NYU Law went to Ivy League schools for their undergraduate studies and paid a great deal of money to ultimately arrive at the exact same place I did."
Berger was born and raised in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in a close-knit, highly observant Hasidic Jewish family. He is the second of seven children, and the first person in both his immediate and extended families to go to college. As is the custom in the Hasidic community, he was married at a young age and was a father of two sons by age 22. Berger never attended school in any traditional sense, as his community forbade most forms of secular education. Despite that upbringing, Berger was determined to pursue his academic goals.
"I was always a very curious person," Berger admits. "I always loved to visit the library and read. So the idea of pursuing an education beyond what I was permitted always seemed to be a very natural idea to me."
While working full-time at a manufacturing company in New Jersey, to which he had to commute 40 miles, Berger took the General Educational Development (GED) and City University of New York (CUNY) entrance exams and scored very well on both. After a time, he enrolled at Brooklyn College, creating a schedule that allowed him to work and attend school full-time. He learned about the college through word of mouth as well as his own research, and decided it was where he could receive the best, most affordable education. After taking an introductory political science course, he selected political science as his major and also chose dual minors in history and Judaic studies.
"Because Getzy had to fight for his education, he was clear in his goals and developing plans to realize them," says Lisa Schwebel, director of the Brooklyn College Honors Academy and Scholars Program, who adds that Berger was a pleasure to teach and mentor because of his "extraordinary generosity of spirit."
Berger also had the benefit of participating in the college's Pre-law Program, which helps prepare students interested in law to meet and exceed the challenges that come with studying in the profession.
"Students like Getzy need to know where to locate the right resources to help them land on their feet after law school. We provide many opportunities for students to be mentored by Brooklyn College alumni and others who are legal professionals," says Pamela Brown, the pre-law early career counselor in the program. "Through activities like panel discussions, shadowing activities, and one-on-one meetings, students create lasting relationships with established legal professionals. We also connect them to law school instructors and administrators, who offer them answers to some difficult questions about financing their law school education."
After scoring well enough on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) to receive application fee waivers, Berger applied to a number of institutions, including schools of law at Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Harvard University, New York University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of Virginia, and Yale University. His only rejection came from Yale. Berger chose New York University because it allows him to remain close to his sons, his roots, and also provided him with the best financial aid package.
"The AnBryce Scholarship's unique institutional, programmatic, and financial support made choosing NYU a no-brainer," he says.
He is eager to get started and is currently deciding whether his talents would be best developed in the public sector or at a private firm.
He just began his first semester as a law student at the end of August.
