#Future Fordham Lawyers

Law school can be competitive, but it has been refreshing to be part of a student body that looks out for and is genuinely invested in everyone’s success. During my 1L and 2L years, I was deeply involved in the Dispute Resolution Society (as a negotiations competitor), the Latin American Law Students Association (as fundraising chair), and the Journal of Corporate & Financial Law. Each of these activities helped me learn new skills and build a lasting sense of community. Last summer, I was a law clerk in the New York City office of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. I gained real experience in “Big Law” and had the opportunity to work with experienced attorneys. It also provided tangible context for what I was learning in the classroom, and it helped refine my direction toward a career in law and business. Following graduation, I am excited to join Debevoise as an associate. I am interested in transactional practice areas that utilize my business background, such as mergers and acquisitions and real estate. Long-term, I would love to have a career in sports, whether it be firm-side, league-side, or team-side, among other paths.

Thanks to Fordham Law’s Domestic Violence Action Center Summer Fellowship Fund, I had the opportunity to spend last summer as a legal intern at Sanctuary for Families. I worked in the housing and public benefits group of the organization’s Matrimonial & Economic Justice Project. This incredible experience opened my eyes to the complexities and shortcomings of New York housing law. I had the opportunity to advocate for clients looking to receive public benefits. Advocacy was a very interesting part of my role because I was able to take the lead in various avenues, including holding client meetings, speaking with agencies, and helping clients fill out applications for benefits. I admired the diversity of the range of services Sanctuary for Families provides for survivors of gender-based violence in New York, free of charge, and I was able to see firsthand how every staff member goes above and beyond to meet their client’s needs. This opportunity enlightened me to how attorneys navigate housing court and the litigation process, all while doing everything they can to keep the client’s best interest at the forefront and be a fierce advocate for them.

I went to Gonzaga University and, later, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. I’ve spent more than a decade as a professional musician in New York City and touring around the country, working primarily in musical theater. I also began producing my own work, including having plays I wrote produced in festivals, workshops, and, eventually, around the world on luxury cruise lines. These experiences brought me into contact with several legal professionals, whom I was surprised to learn are not bureaucratic suits stymieing creativity but passionate and conscientious professionals often making the connections necessary to get projects off the ground. There were also numerous times when the projects I was working on weren’t lucrative enough to engage proper legal counsel, and I was forced to become my own advocate. So, in this way, my interest in the law found me. As a music director, I’ve always been responsible for birthing writers’ work into the world, creating their music in time and space by interpreting it and shepherding it into the theater or concert hall. As a lawyer I hope to do the same thing: help artists get their life-changing work into the world.

I’m from Long Island, New York, and I graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University in May 2023 with a B.A. in economics and global interdisciplinary studies: Chinese studies, and an additional global business concentration. My undergraduate studies, paired with my family background—a grandpa born and raised in Tehran, Iran—sparked my interest in learning more about the intersections between business, government, policymaking, culture, and international relations. Learning about the roles international lawyers take on to manage these relationships in an International Business Law elective at Villanova University pushed me to attend law school. As a 2023–2024 U.S. State Department Fulbright Grant Recipient, I spent a year teaching English in Taiwan. I taught seventh-grade students at Xing Ya Junior High School in Taipei. My aspiration is to aid international countries, organizations, and clients, with a particular focus on Mandarin-speaking clientele. My ambition is to become an advocate for international clients, organizations, firms, and countries, securing favorable outcomes for those affected by global business practices, international policies, and human rights issues.