Student and Alumni Profiles

What I Did Before Law School:

Before law school I lived in Beijing, China for almost three years, working first as an English teacher and later for a French microfinance organization.

What I Am Hoping to Do with My Law Degree:

I hope to eventually be dealing with legal issues in the Middle East.  Right now I’m fascinated by Islamic finance and the legal work they’re doing in Dubai.  In the long term, I would love to be involved in the development of the region. Then again, life has taught me that this could all change in a matter of months.

My Best Experience at Penn Law:

I actually love randomly running in to my Professors on the streets of Philadelphia—I figure if they leave the Law School then I can too.

Professor Who Influenced Me Most:

Professor Stephen Perry, he taught us all to never forget the amazing philosophical underpinnings of every legal decision. He also has excellent taste in sneakers.

My Favorite Course:

Civil Procedure with Professor Wax. There was something inspiring about seeing how federal and state jurisdictions struggled with each other—I think it was in that class that I first began to really understand what being a lawyer was all about.

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

My work through the Lauder Institute has given my J.D. an amazing international outlook.

Meaningful Cross-disciplinary Experience at Penn:

I'm currently getting my M.A. in International Studies through the Lauder Program. I spent the summer in the Middle East, I'm able to do in depth research on the legal practices in the region, and I'm in class twice a week with Wharton's 80 most internationally focused students.

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

Penn's collegial atmosphere was hands down the deciding factor for me when I was choosing law schools. I've developed some incredible friendships here at Penn Law, and I feel an incredible amount of trust in my fellow students.

My Favorite Philadelphia Moment:

The Reading Market is my weekly stop for all my foodie needs.  My butcher thinks I’m Italian. He appears to be in his late 70s, and each Saturday we have a long conversation where he speaks Italian and I nod sagely and point to different cuts of meat. The food is excellent, his suggestions seem spot on, and I’m hoping to audit some Italian classes my 3L year so that I’ll actually understand the little chat we have each week.

What I'm Most Proud Of:

That’s hard to say. I’m proud of my friends here at the Law School, they do some amazing things.

My Extracurricular Activities at Penn Law:

I’m an associate editor for the Journal of Constitutional Law, I serve on the International Law Organization Board, I head up the East Asia Legal Studies Association, and I’m active in the Muslim Law Students Association.

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