Meet Sam Olesinski ’26: A Passionate Advocate for the Greater New York Veteran Community

This article is the first in a series of features highlighting the personal experiences of New York Law School students who’ve concurrently volunteered with the City Bar Justice Center’s Veterans Assistance Project. 

After serving active duty in the U.S. Air Force for over four years, Samuel Olesinski ’26 needed to quickly figure out his next steps.

“Like many other veterans, I had a hard time transitioning when I got out,” he said. “I quickly learned that my background working in military intelligence didn’t directly translate to the day-to-day civilian world. I didn’t fit in one box.”

Olesinski’s eventual career path took an unexpected turn. Originally aiming for law school and a future as a diplomat during his time in military intelligence, he gained an interest in healthcare after working in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and decided to pursue a nursing degree.

While caring for patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic, Olesinski rekindled an interest in pursuing past goals and decided to apply to law school.

“I was so blessed to get accepted into New York Law School, which is very much known for its ties to public service,” he said. “It just seemed most in line with where I’m coming from and where I’m going.”

Veteran advocacy was prominent in Olesinski’s legal education. Alongside his role as president of New York Law School’s Veterans of America chapter, he enrolled in the four credit Veterans Justice Clinic.

“I genuinely learned so much in that class,” Olesinski shared. “I feel like anybody who comes away from the Veterans Justice Clinic would be able to panel or speak with anybody in Congress about V.A. claims.”

Students enrolled in the Veterans Justice Clinic are afforded the experience of a concurrent internship with the City Bar Justice Center’s Veterans Assistance Project, directed by Makedah K. Salmond, one of the program’s three adjunct professors.

“I was already familiar with the Justice Center, as I was a student member of the Military and Veteran Affairs Committee and the Bioethical Issues Committee of the New York City Bar Association,” Olesinski said. “It was an absolute honor to advocate with the Justice Center.”

During his internship with the Veterans Assistance Project, Olesinski was exposed to the many legal hurdles that veterans face when seeking service-connected disability benefits.

“A lot of veterans have their nexus letters to show that there’s a direct relationship between their current injury or illness diagnosis and an incident or exposure that happened during their service,” he explained. “They should be getting disabled veterans’ benefits, but with the way the V.A. is designed, claim denials are the standard, and veterans are forced to navigate a very tough medical appeals process.”

As an intern, Olesinski was primarily tasked with putting the pieces together through provided documentation to help veterans present their cases. In addition to the advocacy in the office, there was no shortage of public outreach opportunities.

“One of the coolest moments was when I was able to represent the Veterans Justice Clinic and the Veterans Assistance Project at Yankee Stadium for the Greater New York City Veteran and Military Family Summit,” he shared. “I had the opportunity to personally meet hundreds of New York City’s military veterans, in addition to active members of other local veteran advocacy groups.”

Although his internship only lasted one semester, Olesinski looks back on his experiences fondly while also looking forward to returning to the Veterans Assistance Project as a pro bono volunteer.

“Whatever discipline of law I find myself in, I’ll still welcome opportunities to assist my fellow veterans in need,” he said.

As he enters the next chapter of his legal career post-graduation from New York Law School, Olesinski has no plans to abandon his colleagues and patients in the ICU.

“It’s really hard for me to walk away from such a stellar, high-performing team,” he said. “I could go into the ICU one weekend per month, go save some lives, and then go back to work at a law firm on Monday.”

Additionally, Olesinski is set to teach “Legal Aspects of Nursing” as an adjunct professor at Seton Hall University.

Even with a future that holds many possibilities, it’s clear that Olesinski is sure to continue advocating for fellow veterans.