LATROBE, PA – The simple beauty of a rolling, leafy campus is what lured Anne Darla Pamphile, C’21, to Saint Vincent College. “I appreciated the sense of serenity this invoked within me,” she said, “especially in the moments where I needed it the most.”
Serenity gave Pamphile strength, and tenacity and hard work paved her path toward success. She was part of SVC’s Honors program and served as president of the Women of SVC Club and as secretary for the Uniting All People diversity student organization. A prefect and an Aurelius scholar, Pamphile also found time to enjoy the smaller joys of life. She enjoyed spending time at her favorite spots on campus, such as the student chapel, the Basilica and the Winnie Palmer Reserve.
“I was relieved that I attended a school where I could worship with my peers in spaces like the chapel and Basilica without fear of judgment,” she explained. “I also really loved the fact that several of my natural science courses and corresponding labs were held at the Winnie Palmer Reserve, which was so interesting and rewarding in its own right.”
Pamphile noted how the Winnie Palmer Reserve and a campus that seemed to be “perfectly situated in nature’s backyard” are what drew her to Saint Vincent in the first place.
Supported by a caring community of faculty and staff at SVC, Pamphile was confident taking calculated risks and pushed herself to new heights. The SVC community encouraged her to strive for goals she wouldn’t have considered on her own, such as applying for (and receiving) SVC’s Gorka Scholarship in 2020.
“I recall the different ways in which I prepared for the entire scholarship process upon receiving the details, from the essay-writing portion to the interview,” Pamphile said. “It was a really rewarding feeling to know that my hard work, dedication and contributions on campus throughout my time there as a student were recognized.”
A Haitian immigrant, Pamphile is fascinated by the inner workings of American government and is eager to learn more about how it operates. That interest influenced her choice of major—politics—and sparked her passion to attend the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and become an attorney.
Last fall, Pamphile received the Susan Yohe Pittsburgh Legal Diversity and Inclusion (PLDIC) Scholarship, a scholarship created to honor Yohe’s commitment to expanding inclusion, diversity and equity in the legal profession. It's an elite honor—the scholarship is granted to only one student from Pitt’s School of Law and one student from Duquesne University’s Thomas R. Kline School of Law.
“This alleviated many [of my] concerns regarding the financial toll of law school,” Pamphile said. “I was elated to learn that the PLDIC created such an opportunity to assist eager ‘attorneys-in-the-making’ like me and other diverse individuals throughout their entire law school experience, from beginning to end.”
With the stress of funding her law schooling relieved, Pamphile can focus on furthering her discipline and moving closer toward her aspiration of becoming an attorney.
“Although I am not entirely sure of the specific area of law in which I will specialize,” she said, “I am looking forward to exploring the endless possibilities.”
-Madison Kozera, English major, of Abingdon, MD