YSU student turns campus connections into hands-on legal experience

Student Spotlight

Blake Poole came to Youngstown State University expecting to pursue a career in medicine. A philosophy course, a conversation with a faculty member and connections made on campus ultimately helped him discover a different path — one that is now giving him hands-on experience in the legal field.

Poole, a junior philosophy major from New Springfield, Ohio, is a legal intern with Samuel G. Amendolara, a criminal defense attorney at Amendolara Law LLC in Youngstown. In the role, Poole assists with filing, preparing documents and reviewing discovery materials for cases.

The opportunity itself grew from a connection Poole made at YSU. Fellow student Brandon Taybach previously worked for Amendolara and, before leaving for law school, approached Poole about the possibility of taking on the internship.

For Poole, the experience demonstrated how relationships built at YSU can extend beyond the classroom and lead to professional opportunities.

His philosophy coursework has also prepared him for the day-to-day responsibilities of working in a law office. Poole said the extensive writing required in his classes has helped him learn to communicate information clearly and concisely, a skill he now applies during his internship.

“We type a lot of papers inside of our classes,” Poole said. “Grammatically formatting things or making things concise and clear and easy to read is the big thing that philosophy has done for me.”

Poole has also developed skills outside the classroom through leadership and campus involvement. He is a member of the Dean’s Dozen in the Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences and Education and serves as president of the YSU Bowling Club. Those experiences, he said, have taught him responsibility and time management as he balances his coursework, campus involvement and professional responsibilities.

The internship has also introduced Poole to the demands of a full-time professional schedule. During the summer, he worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, giving him an opportunity to experience the consistency and discipline required in a professional environment.

“Waking up, getting to bed on time, waking up early in the morning, getting to work and getting things done according to a very strict schedule,” was a new experience, Poole said. “Dipping my toes in the water on what it’s like to actually work a full-time job is really important for me.”

Because of client confidentiality, Poole cannot discuss individual cases, but he said some of his most rewarding experiences have come from working through larger cases involving extensive amounts of information and discovery materials.

As he prepares for a future in law, Poole believes that exposure will give him valuable experience before entering law school.

“I’ll have experienced what they’re talking about in class in person, which I think is a huge thing for me,” Poole said. “Just getting the experience early on.”

Poole’s path toward law began at YSU.

When he first enrolled, he was a pre-med student and planned to pursue medicine. After taking a philosophy course and having a conversation with Associate Dean Alan Tomhave, Poole began to reconsider what he wanted from his future career.

That conversation encouraged him to focus on pursuing work he genuinely enjoyed rather than choosing a career primarily for its earning potential.

“If I never had that conversation about doing something that I like rather than something that I think is going to pay me well, I never would have made this transformation,” Poole said. “I give all credit to YSU for that. I’m doing something that I really like right now.”

His experience reflects the opportunities students can find by exploring their interests, connecting with faculty and becoming involved in the university community. For Poole, those experiences helped turn a change in major into a clearer professional direction.

Now, he encourages other YSU students to take advantage of those same opportunities. “Getting involved on campus is the biggest thing,” Poole said. “Go do things, get in clubs, get in student organizations, do SGA, anything that you can.”

He said students should not underestimate the connections they can build with one another.

“I know so many people who have gotten connections just from going to an event and talking to a classmate,” Poole said. “Just going and having conversations with people and building connections is probably the most important thing I would say about getting an internship in college.”

From discovering philosophy in the classroom to developing leadership skills on campus and gaining professional experience in the legal field, Poole’s YSU experience has helped him identify not only what he wants to pursue, but why he wants to pursue it.