This month, former Student Body President David Millman ’23 received the Knight-Hennessy scholarship — which fully funds up to three years of attendance at any of Stanford University’s seven graduate schools, according to the College scholarship webpage. Millman, who is currently completing his Masters of Science in local economic development at the London School of Economics, will use the fellowship to study at Stanford Law School. The Dartmouth sat down with Millman to talk about his experiences at the College and his long-term career aspirations.
How did you react when you found out you were selected for the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship?
DM: It was surreal. It was a culmination of years and years of work that led up to it. Receiving the scholarship was really rewarding, but it also brought on a lot of emotions at once. It was kind of crazy because Stanford did not send a ‘Congratulations’ email. Instead, the email said, ‘Your status has changed.’ I opened the portal up, and it said I had been accepted. I don’t think they contact recipients to notify them because results come out really late. So yes, when I found out, it was just me in my room.
What prompted you to apply for the scholarship?
DM: I’ve wanted to go to law school ever since I got involved with political and legal work at Dartmouth. I knew that I would apply to law schools, and Stanford was at the top of the list because it’s the number one law school in the country. I’d heard about the scholarship through becoming a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship because it’s a similar process to this one. Fellowships and Scholars Programs director Christie Harner has been super helpful with navigating the application process.
There are so many different things that are really appealing about the award. The financial component is really generous. Full law school tuition is really expensive, and I would have gone into debt because I want to practice law related to public interest.
Also, the concept of an interdisciplinary scholarship community is really appealing to me, as someone interested in community development and learning new things. Moreover, this exposure grants me a new perspective on any type of legal issue I could work on. I think all of those things — the connections, the tuition and the development — were my reasons behind applying. It was kind of a no-brainer.
How do your academic and personal interests relate to the Knight-Hennessy Scholarship?
DM: My academic interests have mirrored my personal ones, and intentionally so. Growing up, before I came to Dartmouth, I did a lot of acting. I was also really interested in STEM — I actually came to Dartmouth as someone interested in environmental science, which I don’t think many people know about me. I didn’t really take political activism that seriously until there was an incident on my first-year floor, in which someone had a lot of Title IX cases against them. Seeing my friends go through that — and seeing how difficult and, honestly, a little bit unfair that process was — led me to get involved with campus sexual violence prevention. I joined the Sexual Violence Prevention Project and the Every Voice Coalition. I think that whole experience, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic, really exposed me to how impactful our political and legal institutions can be at making people’s lives better.
Then, I got involved as a senator in Dartmouth Student Government and eventually also ran for Town office. While campaigning for the Hanover Select Board, I discovered how pressing Dartmouth’s housing issue was. I ultimately went into the local economic development course, taking the Masters of Science degree here at the London School of Economics. I wanted to learn more about the underpinning economic theory and political side of things before going into law school.
How are you planning to utilize the scholarship’s resources?
DM: To be entirely honest, I don’t really have it completely mapped out. I’m going to try to take advantage of all the opportunities that Stanford has. I’m going to try to join clinics, including housing justice and domestic and sexual violence clinics, to learn more about that side of the law. I also hope to do some policy work in the Policy Lab that they have at Stanford. I’ll make sure to attend all events provided by the scholarship and maximize the resources provided. The thing that is really great about this scholarship is that I have an ability to figure it out and take advantage of the mentorship that I’ll receive through the Knight-Hennessy community. I would like to let Stanford shape what the three years will look like.
Why do you want to be a lawyer, and what kind of law do you plan to practice?
DM: I would like to do something in the public interest realm. I’m not entirely sure if that will be government, nonprofit or pro bono. At the core, I just want the majority of my time to be helping people, regardless of what type of law I go into.
At the end of the three years, I want to have the expertise to hit the ground running in the policy space. Part of the reason why I think it’s exciting to be part of the Knight-Hennessy community is because at its core, the people in the program want to do good. I think too often nowadays we focus a lot on the idea that these systems aren’t working. By having these people around me — who want to be actively engaged in how you correct those systems — I believe I can develop effective policy.
Where do you envision yourself farther in the future?
DM: I would love to run for public office, given my past experience running and my work. I’d be a public servant who tries to use these opportunities in a positive way. I don’t know if that’s cheesy, but that’s my goal.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
