Help Me Get to Law School: A Future Advocate for Equity

My name is Dustin Moore, and on August 18th, 2025, I will take my first step as a 1L law student at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.

For background, in 2022 I enrolled at Capella University determined to turn "I want to go to law school" into a "I AM!" I worked full-time as a retail manager to support myself while I earned my BS in Business with a concentration in finance in May 2025. Along the way, I was a scholar among the inaugural cohort of LSAC's PLUS Guided Program, which introduced me to the rigorous path to law school.

Also in May, I stepped away from my full-time management position to invest in the next step to law school and attend the Council on Legal Education Opportunities Inc's (CLEO) Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) held at Penn State Dickinson Law. I was competitively selected as 1 of 36 scholars across the United States to participate in this prestigious and demanding program. For 6 intense weeks, I attended lectures and studied with law school faculty from across the country with a focus on Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Legal Writing. On July 3rd, I graduated from the PLSI program in the top percentile of my cohort, and I was honored by faculty and fellow scholars with the Criminal Law Award for engaging participation and exceptional professionalism.

Today my dream remains as clear as ever: to be a legal professional who helps break down and rebuild equitable financial systems - especially for communities often underserved and treated unequally like Black LGBTQ+ men, those living with HIV, and others with similar stories as my own.

I'm asking for your support to help me take the next step toward achieving a goal that is an integral part of my life's journey. I want to begin law school this August prepared, focused, and ready for success. My journey has had its challenges, but it has also forged qualities in myself like grace, ingenuity, focus, and the strong will to succeed. I also realize my journey is bigger than me. My journey is about breaking systemic and historic barriers to challenge old systems, and ultimately paying it forward so that those who follow me know that - yes, you can do this too!

My biggest hurdle before day one of law school is $7500 in essential expenses. These include:

Relocating from Texas

Securing room and board

Academic books and required materials

A study desk and office supplies

If you're inspired and able, please consider contributing to help me reach my $7500 goal. Every donation brings me closer to the classroom, the courtroom, and a career of meaningful impact.

Please share my story with at least one other person. Thank you for believing in me and the power of perseverance!