Work & Experience
My interest in the law began in fifth grade. In December 2016, I stepped up to the lectern at a San Luis Coastal Unified School District board of trustees meeting to speak in support of a Safe Schools Resolution. This resolution would declare district grounds safe places for students and families regardless of immigration status — a matter of urgent concern in the weeks following the 2016 election. The board voted unanimously to adopt the resolution. That night, I discovered something I have carried ever since: that my voice could be used on behalf of others, and that the law was a place where that kind of advocacy could matter.
Through middle and high school, I deepened that commitment. From seventh through twelfth grade, I competed in mock trial, an experience that opened my eyes to legal advocacy. During high school, I also had the privilege of interning under a number of California jurists in the superior and appellate courts, gaining an early and formative view of how legal institutions actually operate — and who they serve.
During the summer of 2025, I worked at Latham & Watkins LLP, supporting their litigation, business services, and talent acquisition departments. The experience deepened my understanding of large-scale institutional legal practice and the infrastructure that sustains it.
This summer, I will be joining the newly opened Washington, D.C. office of Stris & Maher LLP, a boutique trial and appellate litigation firm known for its sophisticated constitutional and commercial practice. I look forward to working closely with a small team on high-stakes matters.
The following summer, I will return to California to extern for a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. This position will allow me to engage with federal appellate law at the highest level and bring my academic interests directly to bear on legal practice.
Alongside my research with Professor Paul H. Robinson, I also serve as a Writing Fellow and Tutor at Penn's Marks Family Writing Center. Previously, I conducted sociological research with Professor Chenoa Flippen examining patterns of wealth accumulation and homeownership in the United States.
Following graduation, I plan to pursue either a master's degree in the United Kingdom, extending the work of my honors thesis on Shakespeare, cultural capital, and Anglo-American legal culture, or a position at a boutique litigation firm before law school. Ultimately, I hope to use a legal career to defend the rule of law and give voice to those who feel they don't have one.
