Quick Facts:
Grad Year: 2021
Hometown: Livermore, California
Activities: Powell Scholar, Pacific Legal Scholar, ASuop Senator for COP
Favorite Off-Campus Place: Shomi Restaurant in Lincoln Center (Kyle recommends the tiger roll)
Q: Tell us about the Salzburg program
A: The highlight of my summer was being a part of the Salzburg program sponsored by McGeorge School of Law. That was an experience that I could only really get here at Pacific. They allowed me to have an opportunity where I could fly overseas to a city I've never been to, see beautiful sights in Europe and above all just get an education in the law that was more comprehensive and more cosmopolitan than anything I could get anywhere else.
The idea behind the Salzburg program is to allow students to have a comprehensive law education that takes into account the point of view of not only where they come from, which tends to be the United States, but also points of view on the law that come from around the world.
Q: What was the best part of this trip?
A: One of the best parts of the trip was when we got to have a couple guest lectures from the recently retired Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. We got to sit — just 10 of us — at a round table with Anthony Kennedy, and we just had a really in-depth conversation about the Constitution, the amendments, why things were written in a certain way and just having that unique perspective from somebody who's worked on this all their lives and done an amazing job at that, it blew me away and it's something that I'll always be talking about.
Q: What is Anthony Kennedy like?
A: My first impression of him when he came into the room, my friends and I were all sitting down ready to take notes on whatever he was going to say, and he walks in with his briefcase and he says, “Relax. Nobody knows what’s going to happen.”
He came off as a human being, but also a brilliant human being.
Q: Why did you choose Pacific?
A: For one, it's just a beautiful campus. No matter where you go, you should love where you're setting, and I do here. It's fantastic.
There were a couple programs that really piqued my interest, one of them being the Legal Scholars program. If you're planning on going to law school, the Legal Scholars Program is an amazing set of students and professors who help equip you and let you know exactly what you're getting yourself into.
The last bit that brought me to Pacific was the Powell Scholars program. It’s an amazing program that helps leaders, academics and students come together and become a little bit greater than they would have been on their own. Everybody who comes into that program ends up doing something absolutely fantastic.
Q: What do you love the most about Pacific?
A: One of the things I love about the communities that I've been able to be a part of here is that they get you in touch with some people who are just truly fantastic and who worked really hard about what they love.
