Austin Maffei Named Carpenter Pre-Law Prize Winner

WOOSTER, Ohio — Austin Maffei, who recently graduated from The College of Wooster as a political science and sociology double major, has been selected as the recipient of the 2018 David L. Carpenter Pre-Law Prize. The award, which is presented annually to Wooster’s top pre-law student, recognizes academic achievement, participation in Wooster’s Pre-Law Advising Program, experience as a student leader, and a commitment to personal honesty and integrity.
“In addition to Austin’s academic talents, he was an invaluable member of the moot court team for three years and honed his legal analysis and public speaking skills against regional and national competitors,” said Desiree Weber, assistant professor of political science at Wooster. “He was national champion for the best-written appellate legal brief in his sophomore year.”
“I am honored to receive the Carpenter pre-law prize,” said Maffei, a resident of Wadsworth and graduate of Walsh Jesuit High School. “The Wooster pre-law department and the people associated with it have been influential in my decision to attend law school. Further, the activities offered through the pre-law department have become one of my favorite parts of attending Wooster. I could not have successfully navigated and completed the law school admissions process without them.”
Maffei will attend Vanderbilt University Law School in the fall. He presented his Independent Study research entitled “A Rumination on Identity Politics with Durkheim and Rousseau,”at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in April.
Established by the Figgie Family Foundation in 1999, the Carpenter Prize commemorates the life of the late David Lyle Carpenter, a 1965 Wooster alumnus who became a leading tax and corporate lawyer and a partner in the Cleveland law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold L.L.P. Prior to his death in 1999, Carpenter was recognized by Best Lawyers in America for excellence in corporate law. He was also an active member of the Heights Christian Church and served on the board of the National Conference for Community and Justice. At Wooster, he won departmental honors in economics, and lettered in track and field. He later attended the University of Michigan, where he earned both an M.B.A. and a J.D.

Posted in News on June 6, 2018.