Saniya Pangare L’25 was recognized during Elon Law’s 18th Commencement with the David Gergen Award for Leadership & Professionalism, the School of Law’s highest award, named in honor of the presidential advisor and longtime chair of the school’s advisory board.
Like breathing or sleeping, helping others comes naturally to Saniya Pangare L’25. Her empathy isn’t just a value. It’s a way of moving through the world.
It’s also what guided her decision to pursue a career in the law.
When Pangare was 6 years old, her family immigrated to Allentown, Pennsylvania, from India. As the oldest daughter, she found herself seeking help and wanting to encourage and support her parents and sister while navigating unfamiliar systems and life in a new country. Even in elementary school, she recalls stepping into that role instinctively — not because she was asked, but because she wanted to. Those early experiences shaped her understanding of how inaccessible systems can be, and the difference it makes when someone takes time to help.
That perspective carried Pangare to Elon University School of Law, where service and community became the foundation of her leadership. A graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in zoology, Pangare arrived at Elon Law as a first-generation law student, eager to find connection and purpose.
It was that service-driven mindset that led Pangare to be selected for the David Gergen Award for Leadership and Professionalism, the highest honor bestowed by Elon Law each year on an individual from the graduating class whose activities represent the twin principles of leadership and professionalism. Elon Law students are nominated for the award by their peers, professors, or staff, with honorees chosen by a faculty and staff committee.
The award is named in honor of David Gergen, an adviser to four American presidents whose professional life and contributions embodied the highest levels of selfless leadership and service. Gergen chaired the Elon Law Advisory Board from its founding until fall 2024. He passed away in July at the age of 83.
Pangare received the award during Commencement on Dec. 12, 2025.
“I was completely surprised,” Pangare said. “When they started talking about the pro bono work, I thought, ‘wait a minute, this might be about me,’ but even then, it was still a shock. So much of this work was a team effort and there are so many people here who deserve recognition.”
At Elon Law, Pangare led by building community. She served as a co-director of the Student Mentors Program and the Pro Bono Board, while also helping lead the Elon Law Review Symposium. Through the Pro Bono Board, she supported clinics and partnerships serving survivors of domestic violence, individuals facing immigration challenges, and service members through Wills for Heroes. As a student mentor, she worked to foster belonging and support for students navigating law school for the first time.
During the award presentation, Professor of Law Enrique Armijo shared reflections from Pangare’s nominators, who described her leadership as “kind, inclusive, generous, and a community-builder” who has “gone out of her way to support incoming classes” and worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for pro bono service in the Triad.
Faculty nominators also highlighted Pangare’s professionalism in the classroom, noting her active engagement that sparked robust class discussions and her work as a teaching assistant supporting fellow students.
“(She) will continue to do pro bono work post-graduation and will be a lawyer who prioritizes service,” which “is at both the root and the heart of the practice of law,” another said.
In closing, Armijo offered a reflection that captured her impact: “When you have a student who is just as invested in the success of her classmates and of the institution as she is in her own, it is a rare and fortunate thing.”
At Elon Law, Pangare was a McMichael Law and Leadership Fellow and completed her residency with Judge Jimmie V. Reyna of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, developing a strong interest in complex civil litigation. She will join Hall Booth Smith, P.C. in Asheville, North Carolina, following graduation.
“At the end of the day, helping people is why I wanted to be a lawyer,” Pangare said. “If I can use what I’ve learned to support others and make things a little more accessible, that’s what matters most to me.”