Student and Alumni Profiles

Professional Experience Prior to Law School:

Intern for Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz
City Year Corps Member at City Year, Washington DC

What I Am Hoping to Do with My Law Degree:

When I finish law school, my immediate goal is to clerk for a circuit court judge. In the short term, I want to practice law, hopefully in a rights-based area like the environment or plaintiff work. Long term, I would like to serve in Congress and use my experience in law to help pass good laws and represent my hometown.

My Best Experience at Penn Law:

Well, I've only been here two months. so it has been mostly studying for me! At this point, my best experience at Penn Law has probably been spending time with and getting to know my classmates, who are all such interesting and intelligent people, and becoming a part of the wonderful community we share here.

Professor Who Influenced Me Most:

Too often, our political discourse reduces questions of substantive public policy to a discussion of "liberal" versus "conservative," without a more nuanced understanding of what these labels mean. In Professor Jason Johnston's Contracts class, I have been able to more finely understand what these labels means in the law, and begin to balance the interests of either side in search of just and efficient results.

Professor Johnston's Economic approach to the law has given me greater insight into the interests the law in promoting freedom of contract and liberty. At the same time, he has been fair enough to have us ask questions about justice and fairness, and even where morality might compel a certain outcome, even if it might impede contractual freedom. I think it is important for policy makers to think deeply into the large social outcomes of their decisions, and Professor Johnston's class has begun to give me some of the conceptual tools needed to make them.

My Favorite Course:

I really love criminal law. I think I like it so much because it deals with the most fundamental issues of justice in our society, and because the stakes are so high. The theoretical underpinnings of criminal law are fascinating and I think important to how we think about ourselves as a society bound by a social contract. Plus my professor, Stephen Morse, is incredible!

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

In criminal law, for example, our professor has a PhD in Psychology, so he is able to bring really interesting nuances about the human psyche into our discussions about mens rea and culpability. In my contracts class, on the other hand, my professor has a PhD in economics, and so theoretical concerns about how the contracts law works in a market environment really bring the law to life and demonstrate how practically important these laws are.

Meaningful Cross-disciplinary Experience at Penn:

Going to an incredible panel on the recent market collapse, with professors from the Law School and Wharton. It gave me a much needed perspective on the current crisis and a much firmer understanding of what is happening and why, from a legal and economic perspective.

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

Collegiality is important to me because my classmates and I are all on this together. Upperclassmen are happy to provide outlines and advice, and lots of clubs provide mentors to help us. My peers are supportive and it is great to be able to discuss cases and legal problems with them. There is not even a hint of cutthroat character in the people here. To the contrary, my classmates and I want to learn, from our classes and each other, and help each other achieve that goal.

My Favorite Philadelphia Moment:

I love biking the Schuylkill river trail, especially on the park side. It is so beautiful and a great way to unwind.

I also love sitting on a blanket in Rittenhouse Square on a sunny afternoon with a book and listening and seeing the sounds and sights of the city around me.

What I'm Most Proud Of:

Gosh, that's a loaded question! Proud of. in my life? Here at Penn Law?

I'm proud to be a scholar here at Penn. I think it is a culmination of my academic work up to this point and extremely rewarding and fulfilling.

My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:

1st Year Representative - American Constitution Society
Street Law
Latin-American Law Student Association
Jewish Law Student Association

What I Did For Public Interest:

Like I said, I’ve just started! I have begun training for Street Law, a program where beginning next semester I will go to a local middle school once a week to teach students about their Constitutional Rights, particularly in the criminal justice system.

My Favorite Place or Activity on the University Campus:

The Law School Courtyard is a great meeting place where I really enjoy hanging out with my fellow students. On the larger campus, I love Locust Walk.

Previous

Next