When Donald “DJ” Rosenkrans arrived at Neumann in the fall of 2022, he had to adjust to living in a smaller place. The campus is less than half the size of his family’s 400-acre farm in Luzerne County. It was the size of classes, however, that made Neumann the perfect fit for him.

“I knew I needed small classes in order to succeed,” he recalls. “Here, I was close to my professors. In my freshman year, first semester, I had two deaths in my family, an aunt and an uncle. Mr. (Andrew) Miller and Dr. (Robert) McMonagle were really supportive. That’s when I knew that Neumann was a great university.”

A political science major and history minor, Rosenkrans was recently accepted into the Wilmington University School of Law and is awaiting answers from three other law schools. He has wanted to be an attorney since his freshman year.

“My mom and professors have told me that I debate well, and I always like to be a helping hand to others,” he says. “As a lawyer, I can do pro bono work, and I fell in love with the whole idea.”

A summer internship in the office of State Representative Kyle Donahue confirmed the student’s career path. “I had always worked blue collar jobs during the summer – landscaping or construction. At Representative Donahue’s Scranton office, I learned a lot about the law and state government. I went to the state capitol in Harrisburg and watched legislators vote on bills.”

Professor Miller guided him through the law school application process. According to Rosenkrans, “He knew all the law school admissions people and put me in contact with them.”

In high school, he was recruited to play ice hockey and was a member of the club team for three years. One legal specialty that interests him is contract law, which would allow him to work with college athletes who are getting NIL deals and keep him connected to the sports world.

His home upstate is no longer a working family farm. “Once my grandfather passed away, we stopped farming. I remember that we had donkeys and cows when I was growing up a long time ago and used to have a haunted hayride that would go through the woods. Now, we rent land to other farmers.”

He will graduate in just 3.5 years and receive his degree in December. As he looks to transition from the farmhouse to the courthouse, he cherishes his years at Neumann.

“I had the best experience there. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The knowledge I gained there and the connections I made with professors … the chances they gave me. I don’t know if I would have gotten that anywhere else. They helped me mature and changed my academic habits.”