I attended college at the University of California at Los Angeles, and then spent six years as a staff member in Representative Mike Honda’s district office. In that position, I had the opportunity to oversee a range of issues, and to work with national and local leaders in the business, government, and nonprofit sectors. I advanced quickly, and in 2010 was asked to serve as the Congressman’s official campaign liaison, a separate position, independent of my role in the Congressional office. I handled all of his campaign activities in the district, and coordinated all the efforts between Congressman Honda’s political campaign and his governmental office.

After several years working in Congress, I realized that, rather that crafting national laws, I wanted to apply those laws to real-world problems. I also found myself increasing interested in business, technology, international communications and commerce, and emerging companies. I therefore chose to apply for law school, and was invited to attend the University of Chicago. Returning to school was an adjustment, but as in the past, I quickly became active in my new community. I volunteered locally with a student group, and joined the boards of several on-campus organizations.

As a summer Law Clerk for the U.S. Attorney’s Office during the summer of 2014, I had the opportunity to prepare and argue cases in federal court, negotiate deals with opposing counsel, write and submit briefs on behalf of the U.S. government, and perform research on issues including securities fraud, trade secrets, electronic commerce, and others.

Due to a brief health issue, I was forced to take a short-term medical leave from school during my 2L year, and to push my graduation date from June to December 2016. I was eager to return to the law, and during summer 2015, I served as a Law Clerk with the California Attorney General’s Appeals, Writs, and Trials Unit. There, I gained experience in appellate practice, and further developed my legal research and writing skills. During the same period, I also worked remotely for a boutique law firm in Chicago, performing research and writing projects on a variety of issues related to information law.