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From Capitol Hill to Barcelona to Kostelanetz LLP — Dorsey isn't Waiting to Change the World

Some students arrive at ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ in search of themselves. Tyler Dorsey, C’2026,  arrived already knowing exactly who she was — and what she came here to do. Fueled by a commitment to social justice and a clear-eyed view of the law as a tool for equity, the Atlanta senior has spent four years building a record as purposeful as it is prolific.

A graduating English honors student, Phi Beta Kappa inductee and member of the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, Dorsey has maintained a place on the Dean’s List while serving on the executive boards of Spelman’s Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, the Morehouse and Spelman Pre-Law Society, and Spelman’s Collegiate 100. As a Quarterman Keller Fellow and an Emerging Dreamer recognized by the King Center Foundation and the Atlanta Dream, her record reflects both academic excellence and sustained service.

PASSION and PURPOSE

Dorsey’s legal credentials run deep. In 2023, she completed the Pre-Law Fellowship at Duke School of Law, where mentor Jesse McCoy, Esq., posed a question she continues to carry: “What would’ve happened if Thurgood Marshall was just chasing money?” The challenge sharpened her understanding of law as a vehicle for impact.

“I remain grounded in my belief that being an attorney is a role of service,” Dorsey said.

She has since built experience through internships at the district office of U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, the City of Atlanta Department of Law, and the Atlanta office of Jones Day. In 2024, she lobbied on Capitol Hill for legislation addressing disparities in school discipline.

“Using my voice to advocate for change on the federal level demonstrated the agency we have as civic participants,” said Dorsey."

In fall 2024, Dorsey studied in Barcelona through IES Abroad, engaging with international peers while observing the global implications of American politics during the presidential election cycle. Conversations abroad, including time in Lisbon, deepened her understanding of how policy decisions reverberate beyond national borders.

“My experience abroad exposed how interconnected we are politically,” she said. “When we cast our votes, we should remember that decisions made in America affect the well-being and political landscape of other countries.”

Dorsey will graduate in May 2026 with a Bachelor of Arts in English (now LIterature Media and Writing) and join Kostelanetz LLP in Atlanta as an incoming pre-law paralegal — a strategic step toward law school and a career rooted in advocacy.

A SPELMAN LEGACY

Dorsey’s path is grounded in legacy. Her mother, Monica Dorsey, graduated from Spelman as an English major in 1991. Her grandmother, Gloria Wade-Gayles, Ph.D. — renowned professor, poet, and scholar — shaped generations of Spelman students before her passing earlier this year.

“I used to sit in my grandmother’s library and stare at the vastness of the shelves,” Dorsey said. “Years later, I am reading Morrison, Petry, and Neale Hurston — names I recognized from her collection.”

Choosing English was intentional — a decision rooted in both heritage and intellectual purpose.

“It was a deliberate decision — one influenced by my mother and grandmother,” she said.

Dorsey’s path reflects that lineage — not only in what she studies, but in how she moves through the world with clarity, conviction and purpose.

As her grandmother often told numerous Spelman students, Tyler Kate Dorsey has "claimed her space — not because she can, but because she must."


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