Dean’s Scholar
What inspired you to go to law school?
My dad is a lawyer, and I grew up watching him read through giant stacks of files and prepare for court. I didn’t think seriously about law being a path for me until my junior year of college, when the pandemic hit. I found myself doing a lot of research into social issues, and wanting a career where I could help people directly. I switched my major to sociology, and from there, took a class on environmental law. I remember reading all these different cases where lawyers empowered communities fight for their health and the environment and thinking, “I could do this, too.”
Then, after graduating, I started working for the social media team at the American Civil Liberties Union. This locked me onto the path to law school. I loved being surrounded by experienced, hard-working people who were using the law to try and make a positive impact on people’s everyday lives. Each day was something new, but also just another chapter in an historic fight for our rights and civil liberties.
I came to law school so that I could fight for environmental justice and equal access to environmental protections and benefits. I picked NYU Law so I could be surrounded by classmates also passionate about public interest work, and since coming here, I’ve met so many people doing amazing things in all sorts of different areas.
You’re currently studying environmental law, but you also have a background in social media management and communications. How has your experience in communications informed your legal education?
My communications experience has made me a better writer, communicator, and advocate. Working in social media, you’re always trying to get people to stop scrolling and listen, for just one moment. In that way, each post is an argument.
Although I worked in social media for a few years before starting at the ACLU, nothing had kept me quite on my toes like condensing a 60-page Supreme Court ruling into a 1,000-character-long post that anyone could understand and everyone could care about. Posts like those need to be carefully researched, but also clear, concise, and catchy, similar to legal writing. It’s a skill that has come in handy while briefing cases for class and doing legal research. In the future, I hope it helps me in working with clients. Environmental law involves both legal and scientific issues, so being able to break that down is important!
Working in social media also showed me firsthand the impact the law can have. I’ve been able to see people’s reactions in real time to legal news, whether it was a victory or a loss, and keeping those memories reminds me of who public interest work is for, and why it’s so important. Regardless of our age, our income, our education, or our location, the law affects us all, and we all deserve an understanding of that and a way to advocate for ourselves.
Tell us about your experience as a staff editor for the Review of Law and Social Change.
I knew I wanted to be on the Review of Law and Social Change the moment I heard about it. In a profession that relies on precedent, RLSC seeks out new and creative ideas for systemic change and highlights voices that haven’t always been heard in the legal profession or in society at large. It’s an organization that prioritizes people, and that extends to how the journal is run and how decisions are made. As a 2L, I’ve really enjoyed being part of a bigger journal community like this, and the structure of it helps me keep a healthy balance between contributing there and my classwork.
What do you most like to do outside of class? What’s your favorite way to spend a day in New York City?
Outside of class, I love to eat lunch with friends in Washington Square Park, take a class at my local boxing gym, read romance books from the Brooklyn Public Library, and hang out with my cat, Tortilla. My favorite way to spend a day in NYC is spending time outside, either adventuring down different avenues, picnicking in the park, or taking the subway out to the beach in the summertime!
Have you read any books or heard any podcasts lately that you would recommend?
In terms of podcasts, I’m a big fan of the work of journalist Michael Hobbes, especially his podcast with Aubrey Gordon, which is called Maintenance Phase. Maintenance Phase deconstructs different wellness trends and pop culture moments, and it actually inspired the topic of my final paper for the Food Law seminar I took this fall!
For legal news, I love the 5-4 podcast, which breaks down Supreme Court cases in a way that is sharp, educational, and a little bit snarky. Recently I’ve also been getting more into Strict Scrutiny, which reminds me of my time spent in co-host [Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law] Melissa Murray’s Constitutional Law class as a 1L!
Posted January 31, 2025. This interview has been condensed and edited.