At this point, I am not entirely certain what my summer will look like, but I do know one thing with complete certainty: I will be working. That much has never really been in question for me. What remains open is the setting. I recently interviewed with a law firm through Loyola Law School’s OCI process, and I am still waiting to hear back. Also, I may have the opportunity to return to a law firm where I previously worked. I’d be grateful for either opportunity. 

While my path is still developing, the larger direction feels clear.

In some ways, not having my summer fully mapped out has been one of the more honest parts of law school. A lot of conversations about summer plans can make it seem like everyone has everything mapped out early, but that hasn’t been my experience. To me, this stage has not been about forcing a perfect plan, but about staying ready for the right opportunity. What matters most is continuing to build professional experience, sharpening my judgment, and spending the summer in an environment where I can expand my legal knowledge.

I am excited to work this summer, and I am ready for the challenges of legal work and continued growth through experience. I really appreciate the support at Loyola Law School, which made these opportunities possible in the first place.

Loyola has played a significant role in making those possibilities accessible, especially through OCI. Loyola has shown me that legal careers are built through relationships, preparation, and readiness when an opportunity arises.

Something Loyola Law School does particularly well is creating opportunities to learn about the legal profession. Through events from the Career Development Office (CDO) and student organizations, there are many chances to hear from attorneys, judges, and alumni about different career paths.

The CDO regularly organizes lunch panels and informational events that expose students to different practice areas. I am actually attending a bankruptcy law event this week. Because they are usually scheduled during the day, they are easy to attend between classes, and beyond the free lunch, they offer the chance to hear from experienced professionals. These events provide practical insight into how different fields of law operate.

I attended Big Law Preview Night earlier in the year, which introduced large law firm practice and the range of work those firms handle. Hearing attorneys discuss emerging areas of law, including issues related to cryptocurrency, stood out to me because I’m interested in how law interacts with emerging fields and new businesses.

At an event hosted by the Loyola Law School Jewish Law Students Association, several judges spoke with students about their careers and their expectations of attorneys appearing before them. They shared practical advice about credibility, preparation, and professionalism, offering a perspective that comes from seeing lawyers from the bench. The judges also encouraged students to reach out, visit court, and observe proceedings, which helped make the path from law school to the courtroom feel more concrete.

I then participated in Loyola’s on-campus interview process (OCI), which allowed me to connect with law firms and explore job opportunities. I actually have another interview scheduled through OCI this week, which I’m very grateful for and excited about. Speaking with attorneys about their practices and the work their firms handle made the process feel much more tangible. OCI is a valuable opportunity to build professional relationships while getting a clearer sense of where my interests might fit within the legal realm.

Experiences like these make it clear that Loyola is committed to helping students explore different areas of practice and begin building the professional relationships that will shape their careers.

This semester, I chose Innovation Law with Professor Atik as my 1L elective. At first, I was drawn in by the word “innovation.” As we opened the course with the system of patent law, I started to see something deeper. 

Patent doctrine is not just technical. It shapes market leverage. It can determine who controls a technology, who must negotiate for access, and how competition unfolds.

That shift mattered to me.

Coming from a business background, I have always thought about products in terms of risk, investment, and scalability. The legal structures governing innovation compel you to ask different questions: What is worth protecting? When does exclusivity encourage growth, and when does it stifle competition? 

In class, the cases are not abstract disputes. They involve companies making strategic decisions about research investment, licensing, pricing, and litigation. This intersection between legal structure and business is where I feel most engaged.

When selecting my first-year elective, I prioritized genuine interest over what I thought I “should” take. Loyola gives 1Ls a special opportunity to explore beyond the core curriculum, and I wanted something that connected doctrine to industries I care about. Innovation Law offers that, while pushing me to think critically about how legal rules shape technological progress.

LLS electives are more than just an academic requirement. In a curriculum that is otherwise largely prescribed, Loyola’s elective courses offer a genuine perspective of the law’s impact in different sectors and communities.

As a 1L who works outside of school, I made a deliberate effort to build relationships with my professors.

I regularly attended Professor Grossi’s office hours, partly because her passion for the law is contagious. She does not just teach doctrine; she brings it to life in a way that deepened my understanding of the material and reminded me why I came to law school.

Outside the classroom, my friend Michael and I worked with Professor Grossi to organize section gatherings after class. These gatherings gave students a chance to connect with her in a more conversational setting. I found The Liberties, an LLS alum-owned bar fittingly named for law students, and we hosted our gatherings there.

In class, my interactions with other professors have been more structured, but still impactful. Professor Selmi once remarked that the best attorneys are those who can put themselves in the shoes of the people they are dealing with. That observation resonated with me. He was not simply referring to empathy in the abstract, but to developing an awareness of the facts and circumstances shaping a person’s situation. When I mentioned that I was navigating a legal matter outside of school, he offered to reach out to someone on my behalf. That willingness to step in demonstrated that his investment in students extends beyond the classroom.

Overall, I find the faculty accessible and invested. Some are expressive and relational; others are direct and highly structured. Both approaches reflect a seriousness about teaching and a respect for students’ growth. What I appreciate most is that Loyola’s professors are not simply preparing us to pass the bar or perform well on their exams. They are preparing us to practice. They train us to think like advocates, to exercise sound judgment, and to use our knowledge of the law in the service of something larger than ourselves.

I experienced a warm, caring culture during my undergraduate years at LMU, and coming to Loyola Law School felt like returning to a familiar place that genuinely values its students. That sense of continuity mattered to me more than I expected, especially in an environment as demanding as law school.

What I appreciate about Loyola is how much the professors care. Their engagement does not stop when class ends. Outside the classroom, they are accessible not only to clarify and discuss career paths, but also to check in with students and, occasionally, help them figure out how to survive their class. Many go beyond what is required by actively connecting students with opportunities, mentors, and real-world perspectives, a level of investment that shapes how passionately students approach their work.

The student culture reinforces this feeling. I have made friends who are generous with their time, support, and encouragement. Law school can be competitive, but at Loyola, it feels collaborative. That shared sense of purpose makes the workload more manageable and the experience more meaningful.

I also value Loyola’s reputation. Through my work experience both within and outside the legal field, I have met many successful and passionate attorneys who graduated from Loyola. Even attorneys who did not attend Loyola recognize the school for producing sharp, well-prepared professionals. My friends at other LA law schools consistently echo that perception.

What makes Loyola unique is how effectively it prepares students for meaningful work across virtually every area of law and beyond, while cultivating a community that cares about who you become along the way. That is what I have grown to love most about my time here.

With the rigor of law school, studying with friends is helpful. Exam season makes this especially clear. Being able to explain, debate, and defend ideas out loud made exam preparation more effective for me.

I studied with two of my friends almost every day for two weeks. We complemented each other well, with each of us excelling in different areas. This helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses in each class. LLS students are willing to work together and support one another during exams, and we occasionally conferred with another study group while studying.

My group pushed each other constantly. In the middle of discussions, we would randomly cold-call one another. If someone stumbled, we slowed down and worked through it. If someone answered confidently, they were challenged. 

The best part of the group was not academic. During breaks, we laughed a lot. We bonded over shared stress and mutual exhaustion. We also spent a considerable amount of time critiquing the local selection of restaurants on Uber Eats.

Sure, group studying can make it easier to lose focus, but it also makes it harder to avoid accountability. If someone drifted off, they were called out immediately. This kept us motivated when the caffeine was wearing off.

Studying in groups does not work for everyone, but I encourage new law students to try it. The right group, even temporarily, makes the workload feel more manageable and the experience more purposeful.

Studying for 1st semester exams rewired my brain. My first 1L midterm gave me a sense of what exams would be like at the end of the semester, and all of my professors made the process feel manageable by providing past exams to practice. These things prepared me, and I feel satisfied with the results.

My winter break started rough. For the first few nights, I fell asleep while involuntarily thinking about hypothetical cases and legal scenarios. Apparently, my subconscious did not believe in winter break.

After that passed, I was able to enjoy spending time with my family, including my aunt and cousins who visited from the UK. I chose to stay in Los Angeles rather than travel, which gave me the chance to reconnect with friends, catch up on work, and unwind at home. The rare stretch of LA rain limited my options anyway, which made staying in feel fitting.

The only law-related work I did over break was marketing work for a law firm. After exams, the law and I needed some time apart.

As the Spring semester begins, I am excited to see what my new courses will bring. While I will miss Professor Grossi’s entertaining lectures on Civil Procedure, I am looking forward to diving into Torts and Innovation Law with a clear mind and renewed focus.

Before starting 1L, I kept hearing students who had just finished their first year say, “You will not have time for anything you enjoy.”

I entered Loyola Law School determined to disprove this myth.

People can always make time for the things they genuinely care about. During 1L, I continued spending time with my family, exercising, meeting friends, and squeezing in the occasional movie. The truth is that you do not lose your life when you begin law school: you simply learn how to integrate law school into your existing life.

People warned me that staying on top of readings would consume all my time. But a few weeks into the semester, once I developed a strategy that worked for me, the workload became manageable. Law school is a responsibility, not an identity.

What truly takes time is exam preparation. I aimed for two full weeks of studying before my midterm. I ended up taking a week and a half, and I was still content with my performance. Finals, however, will require several weeks of preparation. My outlines insist on it, and I’ve learned not to argue with them.

If I could offer one message to future 1Ls, it would be this: law school is a privilege. You are here to grow, not to suffer. Try things. Make mistakes. See what works. Use the reminders app on your phone. Plan your time. You have twenty-four hours each day and more control than you think.

And yes, with a little planning, your Saturday night outings are doable.

“Why law school?” I heard that from many people around me. I had worked in several capacities over the last few years and was set up to work full-time after graduating from LMU in 2025.

But I wasn’t content. Law school felt like a chance to develop a mindset that revolves around systemic structures, decision-making processes, and socioeconomic dynamics.

My experience in real estate, marketing, and automotive-related businesses opened my eyes to the intersection of business and law. I noticed how legal frameworks could directly impact communities. It made the legal world feel less like a set of distant rules and more like a force that shapes everyday lives.

Outside of school and work, I make time for the things that keep me centered. I enjoy playing basketball, cooking, and searching for hidden gems in LA’s restaurant scene. Finding a great new spot to eat is one of my favorite ways to unwind.

A major goal of mine is to reach a point where I can devote my time to serving and supporting small businesses, which form the backbone of the economy. It is a long-term goal, but one that keeps me focused on the type of skills I want to develop both in law school and beyond.

I intend to leverage the skills I gain at Loyola Law School to serve individuals and business owners, particularly those who rarely receive thoughtful advocacy. My service as an attorney will be predicated on discipline, respect, and righteousness.

Heading into finals, LLS has challenged me in the best ways. I am excited to see where this path leads as I continue to grow.