Activities and Interests
SLU LAW Extracurriculars: Vice Justice, Phi Alpha Delta (PAD); Vice President, Student Legal Writers’ Association (SLWA); Vice President, Sustainability and Urban Development Students (SUDS)
Favorite movie: “Cool Hand Luke”
Favorite fictional lawyer: Jackie Chiles (“Seinfeld”)
Favorite quote: “Jump off cliffs. Build your wings on the way down.” – Ray Bradbury
Law School Snapshot
Why did you want to go to law school?
Initially, I thought I wanted to do criminal law because I wanted to help make St. Louis a safer place. As I went through my Property class and started doing some outside reading I found that there was a better way to change how a city operates than in the narrow context of criminal law.
What advice would you give first-year students?
You wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t do it. Put that thought out of your mind right now, you have too much else to take care of than to deal in self-doubt.
What’s your best experience at the School of Law?
The absolute sheer relief when your last exam is done for the first semester, the grades come back and you are still at SLU for the second semester. You realize then that you know what you are doing and the world isn’t as tough.
What impresses you most about School of Law professors?
In undergrad I had very few professors who really took the time to learn anything about their students. They were more concerned about getting their next article published, or taking care of something else. At SLU LAW, I have stopped in to ask questions of professors and interrupted them in their work. They insist I stop, sit and talk with them. Despite their own pressing matters they make time for the students. It’s cliché, but they care. They show it, too.
Spotlight on St. Louis
What is your favorite part of St. Louis?
This place is home for me. I know the spots I like, and there are a lot of them. The Scottish Arms, at Laclede Avenue and Sarah Avenue, is near my house, and it has great food and a very relaxed atmosphere. Also, nobody stares me down if I pull out my Business Association books and order a beer.
What’s does St. Louis offer that you didn’t expect?
More foreign culture than people expect. The Botanical Garden does a large Japanese festival during the fall and Chinese festival in the summer complete with paper dragons and elaborate lanterns. South Grand has some of the best Vietnamese, Thai and Afghan food this side of those respective countries. St. Louis has the largest Bosnian population in the world outside of Bosnia. Have you ever had Bosnian food? Give it a shot, you will love it.