Most days, the USC School of Law's courtyard is full of busy law students reading or studying. But once a year, it's full of costumes, candy and children.
Every October for the past 30 years, the USC School of Law has opened its doors for children of the community for the annual Halloween Carnival.
The carnival is a long standing tradition for Women in Law and is also hosted by the Children’s Advocacy Law Society, said third-year law student and co-vice president of Women in Law Caroline Murphy.
“It is so foundational to Women in Law, though, that it's actually in our constitution that we host this carnival … Most female attorneys I talk to remember it from when they were in law school,” said Murphy.
The carnival takes place in the Law School courtyard, with at least 20 booths set up by different student organizations. Each booth features candy and different games, such as corn hole, ring toss and mini golf, and activities such as face painting.
Women in Law enlists the help of almost 20 other student organizations to make the event come alive, which Murphy said benefits law students as much as it benefits children.
Organizations include the Federal Bar Association, the Health Law Society, the Public Interest Law Society, Student Bar Association, the RPTE Journal, Labor and Employment Law Society and more.
“It’s a good way too for students within an organization to do something different,” Murphy said. "Maybe normally ... this isn't the kind of collaboration you're used to ... but it kind of forces law students to step outside of what we normally do and the normal kind of boxes that we exist in and do something for the community.”
Women in Law focuses on networking, and building a community for female law students, Murphy said. In addition to this, they also focus on philanthropy, and try to host events that represent those values.
In addition to the carnival, Women in Law hosts a 5K with Palmetto Place and participates in the Cinderella Project, which allows high school students to shop for a donated prom dress for a low cost.
"I think all of us on the executive board, we get really excited about that sort of stuff," Murphy said. "There's a lot of opportunity for us to sort of use our resources at the law school to give back to the community, and so we try to do that primarily."
One of the main goals of the carnival is to provide kids with costumes, and the carnival features a costume shop where kids can pick out a costume to keep. The costumes are often donated or bought using donations from students and staff, Murphy said.
“My favorite part of it actually is probably the costume shop,” Murphy said. "It’s just fun to see the excitement when kids realize that they even get to keep the costume when they go home. For a lot of people, it might be the only way they could get one.”
Kate Willet, second-year law student and executive board member for both Women in Law and the Children’s Advocacy Law Society said her favorite part of the event is interacting with the kids.
“I loved last year ... it was really fun to see them grab candy,” Willet said. “To engage with them and see all my different peers ... having fun with the kids."
Many students are happy to volunteer, said co-vice president of Women in Law and third-year law student Nicole Lane. She also said she enjoys connecting with her peers and the community.
“I like that It brings everybody together because every organization has their own booth, and we kind of get to engage with the community in a way that we might not usually get to,” Lane said.
This year, Lane said that they’re hoping to replicate the turnout of last year and keep kids and student organizations coming back.
The carnival is taking place on Oct. 29, 2024 from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Law School courtyard. The event is free and open to the public.