Student and Alumni Profiles

What I Did Before Law School:

After graduation in May, I decided that I wanted to do something random - something that I probably would never have the chance to do again. I found it. My summer before law school I taught kindergarten for 7 weeks in Southwest Philadelphia through an enrichment program called Philadelphia Freedom Schools. A cultural learning program, I taught 5 and 6 year olds how to read and add numbers through reading books about African and African-American History. My favorite day in the program occurred toward the very end when we read a book about Jazz. Because my students finally starting to sight-recognize the important words I showed them - "him" "her" "he" "she" "it "about" et al. - I decided that we would be rewarded with a musical chairs competition while listening to Louie Armstrong.

What I am Hoping to Do with My Law Degree:

I came into law school with an open mind; I've often heard that your courses completely change the idea of what you want to do. Before law school, I could have seen myself working abroad, in New York, or working with legislation in DC or Harrisburg. But ultimately, after some self-reflection I realized that I wanted to go where my passion, not just my interest, lay. Thus, I want to work in Philadelphia for a group or company seeking to improve our city and area. That said, the amount of such opportunities in Philly and in the Delaware Valley is still large and only time will tell which road I go down. I hope to use my 1L summer to explore whether I would more like working with a public interest firm, in government, or with a local law firm with a substantial pro bono practice.

My Best Experience at Penn Law:

I really loved orientation because of the chance to get to know my peers. I think it really helped to foster the "we're in this together" atmosphere that permeates Penn Law.

Professor Who Influenced Me Most (with a brief why):

My Civil Procedure professor, Dr. Amy Wax, is known for using one of the harshest Socratic Methods at Penn, rivaling even that of Professor Kingsfield in "The Paper Chase." While she has toned it down after we have proved our abilities to her, I have noticed that my preparation for her questions about cases, rules and statutes has greatly improved my ability to present material orally. On a more personal level, I admire her decision to change mid-career from a doctor to a lawyer who has argued in front of the Supreme Court, allegedly because being a doctor was "too easy."

My Favorite Course:

I can't decide between Contracts and Legal Writing. I enjoy Contracts because the cases can be very quirky and fun, but surprisingly complex and confusing. I like Legal Writing because of our curriculum and my legal writing instructor. The specialized Penn Law curriculum has unique cases which we have argued throughout the semester and our legal writing instructor's knowledge and enthusiasm has greatly helped improve my writing and research skills.

Describe How CP&P and the Center on Professionalism Are Helping Prepare You for Your Career:

While balancing classes and activities with the job search is difficult, CP&P has been great about being available for students. Their staff have helped me polish my resume, write cover letters for various employers, and calm my and others' fears about the tough job market. Moreover, I greatly enjoyed the lunch they organized with my cohort (group of 14 students) and two alumni who gave us tips for marketing ourselves, figuring out what we want to do, and navigating the job market.

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

My hardest struggle throughout my undergraduate studies was with the field of economics, which I had to take for three semesters to complete my International Relations major. While the subject finally began to make some sense by senior year, I was happy to escape its models, theorems, and charts forever. Or so I thought. My Torts class is taught by an economist who pushes the view that law should be an economic facilitator. While he does mention other perspectives such as philosophy or corrective justice, his class has demonstrated that I shouldn't have wanted to forget economics at all. Indeed, economics underlies so many legal topics in choosing law or policy X over law or policy Y that I believe it to be vital for legal instruction.

My Favorite Philadelphia Moment:

This is a very difficult question because I have lived here my entire life, but I think I have one. I was 9 years old, and my family went to the Ben Franklin parkway for the 4th of July fireworks. Somehow we pushed our way to the very front, only a police barrier in the way between us and the Art Museum, behind which would be the fireworks display. I noticed the city's mayor, Ed Rendell, walking about in the barricaded area. After a few minutes, Mayor Rendell decided to stop and talk to a freckled little boy wearing an oversized Phillies cap. While I had seen him cut building ribbons and lament the Phillies and Eagles on the news, little did I know at the time what he was doing - transforming my city to the modern metropolis it is today from (practically) a national embarrassment. After making some chitchat, he asked me what I was doing the next day, July 5th, and directed my mother and me to go to his office in City Hall, where there would be Phillies tickets in the Mayors personal Box waiting for my entire family in an envelope! While I don't remember if the Phillies won or lost that game - it's a fair guess that they lost - I still remember the walk up the stairs of city hall, and an envelope in his office saying only "For Richie."

My Favorite Place or Activity on the University Campus:

Wednesday Quizo at New Deck Tavern.

What I'm Most Proud Of:

Being the first in my family to go to college.

My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:

I am currently involved with three groups, though I often go to speakers at other groups. First, I was drawn to the Marshall Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, which teaches the constitution at local high schools, because I greatly enjoyed my previous teaching experience. Every Friday my partner and I are challenged every week by the students' questions in a government class at my sister's old high school. Second, I wanted to join a pro bono service group to learn more about important issues as well as apply my new legal skills outside of the classroom. With the Immigrant Rights' Project, I spend a few hours each week performing green card and asylum case research for a local immigration attorney. It has greatly opened my eyes to the fact that the byzantine immigration system affects the lives of not just people in far away states, but ones in my own neighborhood and city. Third, I recently became involved in the student representative's committee on diversity, and am really excited for the new group's endeavors to increase diversity among our colleagues and faculty as well as spark a dialogue about the topic. If I can find the time next semester, I have a plan to open a new group at Penn Law - a comedy troupe.

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