For this week’s edition of Texas Law’s 2025-26 Student Spotlight series, meet 3L Salahudeen Robinson!
Hometown: North Minneapolis, Minnesota; moved to Richmond, Texas, as a high school junior
Degree: B.S. in Political Science, Prairie View A&M University
What made you choose Texas Law?
As a member of the inaugural cohort of the Texas Law Pipeline Program, I knew that I would have many established relationships here, making the transition to law school much smoother than if I had gone elsewhere. Coming from an HBCU undergraduate institution where I felt like I was surrounded by family, picking a law school with a welcoming environment was a priority for me—as well as a top institution—which I found in Texas Law.
What are you most looking forward to as a Law and Business Program fellow?
Everything! As an inaugural fellow, I am looking forward to contributing to the program’s development in real-time, while collaborating with my peers and supervisors to bring our initiatives to life. The year will undoubtedly be busy with planning and execution. Nonetheless, I am excited to work with this group of fellows and believe that I will walk away from this fellowship with rich experiences and lifelong relationships.
What skills do you hope to sharpen through the fellowship?
I’m excited to sharpen my attention to detail, document drafting, networking, and organizational skills. I’ve been building the first two through coursework and my current clerkship at Vela Wood, a boutique full-service law firm (which was introduced to me by Law and Business Program Director Eliot Cotton). I see this experience as an opportunity to develop as both a future attorney and a leader in the Texas Law community.  
What other activities have you been involved with here?
I have been involved with various student organizations, including the Thurgood Marshall Legal Society, the Muslim Legal Society, Texas Journal for Oil, Gas, and Energy Law, the Parole Project through the Mithoff Pro Bono Program, the Juvenile Justice Clinic, and the Texas Business Law Society. I also participated in the Texas Law Transactional Skills Competition during my 1L year. During my 1L summer, I interned with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C. This past summer, I interned with the Railroad Commission and the Public Utility Commission of Texas in Austin.
What advice would you give to a 1L? 
I would tell a first-year student to trust the process of 1L year. What I mean is, at first, nothing is going to make sense; it’s not supposed to. But, do not get discouraged, continue to spend time with the material, burn the midnight oil, take good class notes, review them, and when concepts still do not make sense, discuss them with your professor. If you’ve made it into law school, it means you have the intelligence to be here. Now, you need to find your personal method for understanding the material, which is a trial-and-error process, but it’ll work out in the end!
What’s been the best surprise about your law school experience?
The relationships with my peers. Prior to law school, I had never traveled with friends, but since then, I have done so multiple times, and the diversity of friends I’ve made is truly a welcome surprise.