Student and Alumni Profiles

Professional experience prior to Law School:

I came straight through from undergrad!

What I Am Hoping to Do with My Law Degree:

I plan to clerk and am then hoping to get trial experience right away. Ultimately, I would love to balance private and public sector work, and advocate for abuse prevention and youth empowerment.

My Best Experience at Penn Law:

It is hard to choose just one! Overall, one of the best things I have experienced is the constant realization that the "collegial, community-oriented" Penn Law slogan is actually true. I think my favorite experiences are helping out at Admitted Students Weekend because I get to share why everyone loves Penn.

Professor Who Influenced Me Most:

Professor Catherine Struve - I had her for first semester Civil Procedure, and connected with her teaching style immediately. She epitomized my image of a law school professor: extremely intelligent, charismatic, committed to teaching (as well as professional, research pursuits), and to her students. I actually liked being called on in class and came out with a thorough understanding of procedure.

My Favorite Course:

Con Law was my favorite first year course, in large part due to the way Prof. Matthew Adler. By the end of the semester I had a solid understanding of the doctrine, but perhaps more significantly, I felt aware of the lingering problems, puzzles, and policy concerns surrounding the doctrine. As a result of that class, I did an independent study on a 14th Amendment issue with Prof. Adler for my senior writing requirement. Prof. Stephanos Bibas' Criminal Procedure classes were a highlight of my 2L curriculum.

An Example of How the Law School's Cross-disciplinary Approach Influences My Legal Education:

I think that all of my classes thus far have really reflected the cross-disciplinary approach to the law. Learning not only the law, but also the economic repercussions of legal rules, the policy implications of court decisions, and the theoretical/philosophical underpinnings of our legal system has been very intellectually rewarding and has also made me feel prepared for any future career pathway.

Meaningful Cross-disciplinary Experience at Penn:

I studied Public Policy as an undergrad and loved how it allowed me to tie intellectual concepts to real people and communities. I was unsure if my law school professors would ground case law in the same way and was really thrilled to find that so many of my first year profs not only discussed policy concerns, but even allowed us room to discuss those issues on the final.

Penn Law is known for its collegial environment. Why is collegiality important to a legal education? How has it affected your legal education?

Law school is inherently difficult, intense, and challenging. To add competitiveness or tension on top of that would be distracting and make an already tough experience even more difficult. Penn's collegial atmosphere made me feel comfortable asking questions in class, struggling through difficult concepts with my classmates, and generally enjoying law school on a day to day level.

My Favorite Philadelphia Moment:

Going apple picking and to a pumpkin patch just outside of the city with a group of friends as 1Ls and then again during 3L fall.

What I'm Most Proud Of:

The amount of effort and commitment I have put into each of my law school endeavors, both in class and extracurricular.

My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:

Penn Law Review
Legal Writing Instructor
Penn Law Moot Court Board
Penn Law Mock Trial Team
Research Assistant

What I Did For Public Interest:

I did most of my pro bono hours with CASAC, the student run clinic for custody and support issues. I have done some work with EJF and judging mock trial/debate.

My Favorite Place or Activity on the University Campus:

The quads and buildings are just really pretty and peaceful.

Advice for 1L

Find what works for you, and don't worry about what other people are doing. Some people will want to get involved in a lot right away, others will only do class work. Everyone will have different methods of reading, studying, etc and after the first month or so you will find what works for you - just be patient and then stick with it!

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