EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION

Kenedie Barnhart ’27 is from Columbus, Ohio. She graduated from Auburn University in 2024 with a bachelor of arts in law and justice. At Villanova Law, Barnhart has pursued a variety of professional interests. She externed at the Bucks County Public Defender's Office and worked as a student attorney in the Caritas Clemency Clinic representing incarcerated individuals. She also served as a summer associate with Richards, Layton & Finger in 2026, working in the corporate litigation and bankruptcy & corporate restructuring departments. Barnhart is vice president of the Criminal Law Society and served as a research assistant for Professor Padilla-Babilonia in 2025. Following graduation, she will begin her career as an associate at Richards, Layton & Finger.

Isaiah Carter ’28 is from Delaware. He graduated from Liberty University with a BS in law & policy, concentrating in contracts and government regulation. Isaiah has previously interned in the Office of United States Senator Christopher A. Coons of Delaware. At Villanova Law, Isaiah is involved in the Corporate Law Society and the St. Thomas More Society.

Ava Dressendofer ’28 is a New Jersey native and a 2025 graduate of Montclair State University, where she earned a BA in jurisprudence, law and society. At Villanova Law, Ava serves as vice president of the Student Bar Association. She is also the founder and CEO of Mi Cielo Charm Bar LLC, where she leads a team of young entrepreneurs.

Prior to law school, Ava worked as a benefits advisor for Aflac, where she ranked #1 in the country in sales in 2021. She also gained valuable legal experience as a legal assistant at Harwood Lloyd LLP and as an intern with Legal Services of Northwest Jersey. Most recently, Ava spent the summer interning with the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey.

Through her involvement with the Scarpa Center for Law & Entrepreneurship, Ava hopes to make an impact at the intersection of law and business by helping foster innovation, supporting aspiring entrepreneurs, and creating opportunities for the next generation of business-minded legal professionals.

Paul Giordano III ’28 is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in 2021. He then graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University in 2025 with a bachelor of business administration. While attending the Villanova School of Business, he completed a major in finance and a minor in business law & corporate governance. Paul’s passion for business began while working alongside his family at its wholesale fruit and produce company, where he gained insight into the ways in which business and law intersect. Through this, he gained firsthand experience in business operations while helping coordinate donations for the distribution of more than 300,000 meals each year to Philadelphia residents experiencing food insecurity.

At Villanova Law, Paul also serves as the vice president of funds for the Corporate Law Society, treasurer of the Villanova Italian-American Legal Organization, secretary of the First Generation Lawyers Group, external outreach chair of the Real Estate Law Society, elections chair of the Honor Board, 2L representative of the Entrepreneurship Law Society and a student ambassador for the admissions office.

This past summer, Paul served as a law clerk at Bellwoar Kelly, LLP, gaining experience in appellate briefing, motion practice, deposition preparation and complex research involving administrative, constitutional, employment, immigration and civil rights matters.

Paul’s lifelong exposure to entrepreneurship through his family’s Philadelphia business has shaped his growing interest to pursue a career in corporate law, specifically mergers and acquisitions. As a Scarpa Fellow, he aspires to apply his finance background and business acumen to deepen his understanding of how legal strategy can shape entrepreneurial growth and decision-making.

Cole Hammel ’28 is from Oaks, Pennsylvania. Hammel graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a bachelor of science in finance and accounting. Before attending Villanova Charles Widger School of Law, Hammel worked in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Global Restructuring practice, advising Fortune 500 and multinational clients on complex cross-border tax planning and restructuring, including inbound and outbound transactions, value chain transformation, intellectual property and legal entity optimization, joint venture structuring and modeling the global effective tax rate implications of strategic transactions and restructurings.

At Villanova Law, Hammel is pursuing a joint JD/MBA through the Reza Taleghani JD/MBA Program. He previously served as a blog writer for the Corporate Law Society and currently serves as an associate editor of the Corporate Law Society Blog, a blog writer for the Forum on Entrepreneurship & Law, a Scarpa Fellow and a student fellow with the Villanova Venture Capital Fund.

This past summer, Hammel completed a judicial internship with the Honorable Karen Spencer Marston of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Next summer, he will join Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP as a summer associate in its corporate business transactions practice. Following graduation, Hammel plans to pursue a career in corporate transactional law.

Minsoo Jeon ’28 is from the Philadelphia area. He earned a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies from Drexel University, with a triple minor in philosophy, business administration and real estate development and management.

Prior to law school, Minsoo founded Plot Holders LLC, a real estate investment firm through which he raised and managed over $1.5 million to close more than forty transactions across several jurisdictions. Through this venture, he negotiated over 100 purchase and partnership agreements, led cross-functional teams through the land development process, and built and managed a five-member full-time operations team.

At Villanova Law, Minsoo is a Charles Widger Leadership Scholar. He serves as co-editor-in-chief of the Forum on Entrepreneurship and Law and treasurer of the Real Estate Law Society. In 2026, he worked as a summer legal fellow at Comcast Corporation. In 2027, he will join Ice Miller LLP as an M&A summer associate in Philadelphia. His professional interests lie at the intersection of law, corporate transactions, real estate development and entrepreneurship.

Jordan J. Lewis ’28 is from Villanova, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Maryland – College Park with a bachelor of arts in criminology and criminal justice.  Jordan is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan, rooting for all four major sports teams in the city, and in his free time, he loves playing golf. 

At Villanova Law, Jordan has pursued a wide range of professional and extracurricular experiences. This past summer, he served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Craig Levin of the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. On campus, Jordan is actively involved in the Student Bar Association, where he serves as alumni relations chair. He is also the co-events chair of the Jewish Law Students Association and a member of Villanova’s Basketball Sports Law Negotiation Team. After graduation, Jordan plans to pursue a career in litigation while incorporating entrepreneurship and innovation into his professional work.

Jordan became a Scarpa Fellow to contribute to the Center’s mission and engage more deeply with legal issues at the intersection of law, business, innovation, and entrepreneurship. He wholeheartedly embraces the Center’s guiding principle, Where Law Meets Business, and is eager to help plan and host events that further its mission.

Emmeline Lignowski ’28 is from Wynnewood, PA. She graduated with honors from College of the Holy Cross in 2024 with a BA in economics and music. Her honors thesis studied the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Broadway theatre.

In the summer of 2026, Emmeline completed a judicial externship with the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, Civil Section. In addition to being a Scarpa Fellow, she currently serves as a staff writer on Villanova’s Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal, treasurer of the Entertainment and Media Law Society, social chair of the St. Thomas More Society and a 2L representative for the Entrepreneurship Law Society.

John O’Connor ’28 is a JD candidate at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. He graduated from Boston College in 2021 with a bachelor of arts in English and a minor in accounting for finance. Prior to attending law school, O’Connor spent four years at UBS Financial Services, where he worked in the wealth management graduate talent program and later as a private equity partner program analyst.

At Villanova Law, O’Connor serves as vice president of the Villanova Tax Law Society and is a Scarpa Center for Entrepreneurship and Law Fellow. He also works as a research assistant to Professor of Practice Joan Arnold. During the summer of 2026, O’Connor served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Dominic Pileggi of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas, where he conducted legal research and analysis, drafted memoranda addressing criminal law issues, and gained practical insight into the judicial decision-making process.

Nate Wartell ’28 is from Collegeville, PA. Nate graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in political science, where he researched the effect of business transactions and bank lending on the economy in the wake of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.

At Villanova Law, Nate is blending his prior research experience with corporate transactional law. He is particularly interested in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and emerging companies/venture capital (EC/VC) practice. Through the Scarpa Center, Nate is assisting in creating Villanova Venture Capital’s first fund and serving as a law student advisor to the Villanova Wildcat Fund.

This past summer, Nate worked in the legal department at Sila Services, a private equity-backed home services platform, where he helped Sila acquire a Virginia-based heating company. He also gained experience drafting board resolutions and redlining contracts with vendors and brokers. In 2027, Nate will join Troutman Pepper Locke LLP as a summer associate.

Garrett Ziperstein ’27 is from Connecticut. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2024 with a bachelor of arts in political science and world politics, with a minor in public policy. He is concurrently pursuing a master's degree in sport management at the University of Texas at Austin. Since enrolling at Villanova Law, Ziperstein has pursued professional and academic opportunities at the intersection of sports-entertainment and transactional corporate practice. He spent his 1L summer with Southern Methodist University as a compliance extern following the House Settlement's implementation and joined James Madison University as an NIL strategy extern during his 2L summer.

Ziperstein works during the school year as a legal extern for Premier Athlete Agency and Elemica, Inc., and will begin a role with the Villanova Women's Basketball Program as an NIL strategy extern during the fall. Ziperstein is a member of the Sports Law Negotiation Team, where he placed 3rd at Tulane's 2026 National Competition. He serves as 3L representative for the Entrepreneurship and Law Society, as well as the Entertainment and Media Law Society. Ziperstein has helped establish student involvement with the Villanova Venture Capital Fund, which he will join as a Scarpa Fellow during his 3L year.