Devontae Torriente L’24

Devontae joined the Penn Carey Law community from Washington, D.C., where he lived for nearly a decade. He is a community organizer with a background in union organizing, political campaigns, and policy advocacy. Originally from New York City, Devontae graduated cum laude from American University with a bachelor’s degree in Justice & Law and a minor in African American and African Diaspora Studies. While at American University, Devontae was elected to serve as student body president, becoming the first Black president of the American University Student Government.

After graduating from American University, Devontae worked full time in politics, initially serving as Digital Strategist at Community Change, a national advocacy organization focused on economic and racial justice. He then worked at Priorities USA, the Democratic Party’s flagship political action committee, where he coordinated nearly $200 million in paid media with dozens of partner organizations focused on winning the 2020 presidential election. He also completed multiple internships while in D.C., including with the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, Judge Barbara J. Rothstein on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Center for American Progress. Devontae is a co-founder and advisor for Blue Future, a youth-led civic engagement organization focused on training young people to get involved with progressive political campaigns. He is also an associate member of the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union and 2021-2022 mentee of The Appellate Project.

At Penn Carey Law, Devontae serves as a Teaching Assistant for 1L Criminal Law, on the boards of the Black Law Students Association and Democracy Law Project, and as an inaugural Equity & Inclusion Fellow. He also serves as an associate editor for both The Regulatory Review and the Journal of Law and Social Change. Devontae spent his summer after 1L as a legal intern at the Constitutional Accountability Center in Washington, D.C., where he worked on constitutional litigation at the appellate and Supreme Court levels. In addition to a JD, Devontae is pursuing a certificate in Environmental Policy.