From Marshall to Harvard

Mark Hysell never expected the email. He knew the odds. Thousands of students from across the country had applied. Only 20 would be selected.
So, when he saw the word “Congratulations,” he stopped reading for a moment just to let it sink in.

“I was honestly shocked,” Mark said. “Seeing that acceptance email felt like a massive validation of the work I’ve put in at Marshall.”

This summer, Mark, a history major from Milton, West Virginia, is spending five weeks living and studying at Harvard Law School as part of TRIALS, a competitive residency program that prepares students from underrepresented backgrounds for admission to the country’s top law schools.

The fully funded program is a partnership among Harvard Law School, the NYU School of Law and the Advantage Testing Foundation. It brings together just 20 students each year for intensive LSAT preparation, mentorship and legal studies.

For Mark, the journey started long before the acceptance letter.

As a first-generation college student, he arrived at Marshall knowing he’d have to figure out much of college on his own.

“I am happy I chose Marshall University,” he said. “There have been so many people that I’ve met, from faculty to students, who have been happy to go out of their way to help me navigate college.”

What first drew Mark to Marshall was something he heard before ever stepping foot on campus. He remembers watching a video in which President Brad D. Smith described Marshall as being “big enough to matter, and small enough to care.”

“After that, I knew I had found my people,” Mark said.

That sense of community quickly became real.

Professors challenged him. Fellow students encouraged him. Opportunities seemed to appear around every corner.

Mark became involved with the Student Government Association, serving as an Honors College senator, and later joined the university’s Social Media Ambassador team. Along the way, he discovered something about himself.

“I realized I love advocacy,” he said.

That passion turned into action when he noticed proposed changes that threatened the independence of SGA’s Judicial Branch.

Rather than accepting the changes, Mark got to work.

He wrote a constitutional defense for The Parthenon, rallied support from fellow students and helped spark the creation of a Judicial Reform Committee that ultimately adopted many of his recommendations.

That experience also confirmed what he’d been feeling for years.

Growing up in West Virginia, Mark had seen how policies affect everyday people, especially when systems become difficult to navigate.

Those experiences fueled his interest in law.

“I want to make sure systems are actually working for the people they were built to serve,” he said. “Law gives you the opportunity to help make that happen.”

His history classes have helped prepare him for that future.

“The history department has sharpened my ability to research, think critically and write persuasively,” Mark said. “Those are skills I’ll use every day in law school.”

Now, those skills are taking him to one of the most respected legal institutions in the country.

At Harvard, Mark is spending his summer learning from leading legal scholars, preparing for the LSAT and connecting with other students who share similar goals.

As meaningful as the opportunity is personally, Mark says representing Marshall and West Virginia means even more.

“Sometimes people underestimate students from West Virginia,” he said. “I want people to see that we’re just as capable, driven and intellectually curious as anyone else.”

When he thinks about what helped him get here, he doesn’t point to a single class or organization.

Instead, he points to Marshall and to the people.

“Marshall has all the resources of a major institution but with the personalized support that allows you to actually find and earn this kind of opportunity,” Mark said.

He credits Marshall for helping him gain the confidence to pursue opportunities he never thought were possible.

“Marshall gave me more than an education. It gave me a community that believed in me.”

Now, as he continues his summer at Harvard Law School, Mark hopes other Marshall students see themselves in his story.

” When we say, ‘We Are Marshall,’ it’s a promise that we are a community together,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Lean into the people around you. You never know where one opportunity might take you.”

This summer, it’s taking Mark from Huntington to Cambridge, Massachusetts, carrying the Herd with him every step of the way.