Georgia Philipp goes the extra mile to give back

Georgia Philipp, ‘23 JD, has taken extraordinary strides to create positive change in her community, from serving as a victim services advocate to starting a charity run that gives back to those most in need.

On June 8, Philipp will convocate with the University of Alberta Faculty of Law Class of 2023.

Her time in law school has been a lesson in compassion in action, as she actively engaged in initiatives to uplift the community, both within the walls of the Law Centre and in the wider area.

In addition to her academic commitments, Philipp volunteered her time as a Victim Services advocate with the Leduc Victims Services Unit, which entailed being on-call for four 12 hour shifts a month. This service involved providing victims of crime and other traumatic experiences with direct support as well as recommendations for services.

Philipp’s passion for running additionally provided a meaningful way to give back to the Edmonton community. In 2020, she started the Christmas Kilometers Charity Run, running 25 kilometers to raise money for the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton.

She was inspired to found the charity run after observing people experiencing hardships in downtown Edmonton during her first year of law school.

“I've always been really blessed to have my family and been really secure in my own life. And I'm living downtown, and all I'm seeing is people who have none of that. And it was COVID. And a lot of people were hurting.”

The run has now become an annual tradition for Philipp. It has also gone international. During her final year, Philipp completed the Christmas Kilometers run in Milan Italy while on exchange at the Universitá Commerciale Luigi Bocconi.

Closer to home, Philipp built community through her love of running. She, along with two classmates, started a running club as a way to give students a mental health break. What started out as a casual way to get together for a run has since formally become a Faculty of Law student club.

Philipp has also dedicated her time to making a difference in the lives of law students. She served as the Law Students’ Association 1L representative and as VP social during her first and second years respectively. In her third year, she served on the grad committee for the Class of 2023.

While she took these roles as a way to serve her classmates, she also found herself benefitting from the community that these roles provided. “The people that are on those committees are the kind of people that you want to know,” Philipp says. “They're all usually very kind-hearted, generous, smart people who are going to do something with the world.”

While Philipp’s time in law school has been about giving back, she also knows the importance of making time for oneself.

“You need to do one thing a day for you. There are so many activities available.”

For Philipp, one of the keys to keeping a healthy mindset in law school is the people she surrounded herself with. “The big thing is you need to find a good support group,” Philipp says. “You need to find good friends who want you to succeed just as much as you do.”

As for her next chapter, Philipp will be articling at Swainson, Miki, Peskett, LLP, where she worked as a summer student after her first-year of law school. That summer was an experience that she says confirmed her desire to become a lawyer, a dream she’s had since she was 10 years old.