UNC Pembroke students Tasia Mears and Anthony Locklear recently completed the Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program at Duke University School of Law.

The four-week residential program introduces rising sophomores and juniors to the study of law and to the legal profession. Mears and Locklear were among 26 students chosen out of more than 500 applicants.

“My experience at the Duke PLUS Program was amazing,” said Mears, a junior from Wilmington. “We were able to take classes that are similar to those you would take in your first year of law school, including criminal law, legal writing and corporate law.”

Participants were provided tips with the law school application process, resume building and financial aid and completed LSAT prep courses.

“The most significant part of it for me, however, was getting to know other students of color who were interested in law. I feel like I was able to form a real connection with the other students there and that was priceless,” Mears said.

Locklear, a senior from Maxton, said the PLUS program was an “experience of a lifetime with the best kind of life lessons to have in undergrad.

“We talked about the importance of diversity and inclusion while still discussing the different aspects of the law. As a group we collaborated on class assignments and discussed the different aspects of criminal law and intent.”

Locklear and Mears are both political science majors with a concentration in pre-law. Mears, a Maynor Honors College student, has plans is to become a civil rights attorney. Locklear wants to practice criminal law.