Student Spotlight

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Law Student Services

Organized and published by Law Student Services, the Student Spotlight is a community-building initiative which aims to highlight our students for their creativity, excellence and leadership both in law school and their personal lives. Click on the link in each excerpt to read the full interview.

Sam Yazdanseta (JD 14) Sam's greatest sources of motivation and support while he works towards his JD are his fellow law students at GGU. His colleagues have a wide range of community-focused passions like working with wronged employees and protecting indigent tenants. These selfless activities remind him of his own aspiration of providing legal services to small businesses, many of whom have been facing hardship during this economic downturn. Sam's focus on law school has also been made possible by his family and friends outside of school, who have always been a continuing source of love, motivation, and support. Click here to learn more about why Sam decided to attend law school.

Jonathan Grisham (JD 11) Prior to law school, Jonathan Grisham was in commercial and residential real estate. He assumed he would be a transactional attorney and love contracts, real property law, and the like. To his surprise, he fell in love with criminal defense and civil rights law. He now wants to represent those that don't have a voice. Click here to read more about Jonathan Grisham's path to law school.

Kathleen Natividad (JD 13) "In my first year of law school, I worked diligently to host a series of panel presentations at GGU regarding criminal justice reform. Nearly 100 students attended every presentation. This experience helped motivate me during a difficult first year and broadened my understanding of what I could do with my legal career." Click here to read more.

Santiago Lerma (JD 12) "One of the most interesting jobs I've ever had was when I worked in a psychiatric hospital for four years while a student at UC Santa Cruz. I was the assistant to the Director of Nursing and held various positions there in the hospital. I started as a community mental health worker. I received training on how to approach a conflict that is negative or adversarial, draw out the underlying issues, and employ tactics to de-escalate the situation. Those experiences taught me how to deal with the pressures of law school and litigation." Click here to read more.

Julia Levitskaia (JD 12) "Today, so many students attend a lecture, take a class, and even pursue a degree without purpose, direction, or retention. Some treat education like the internet or television: click around, allow information to wash over, and hope it seeps in (or not). Others soak up the opportunity for education, live to learn new skills, and, as a result, develop right before our eyes." Third-year GGU law student Julia Levitskaia exemplifies the latter. Click here to read more.

Ian Fuentecilla (JD 11) As a daytime student who started law school right out of college, it's fitting that Ian's path led him to study law in his hometown of San Francisco. Ian was drawn to Golden Gate Law because of the collegial atmosphere, the school's reputation for training skilled and ethical attorneys, but most of all by the superior quality of both the students and faculty. Click here to read more.

JayDe Leonard (JD 13) JayDe is a hard-working evening student with interesting life experiences. He praises the support he receives from Golden Gate's Academic Development program, which is designed to enhance student performance through mentoring, workshops and practice exams. Although the day does not always have enough hours for everything JayDe wants to do, we admire his ability to balance work, school and fitness. Click here to read more.

Crystal Cole (JD 12) Looking back at her first year in law school, Crystal Cole describes a supportive community of faculty, staff and upper-division students. Despite what she had heard about going to law school, during her time at Golden Gate she never felt like she was on her own. We, in turn, are impressed with this ambitious woman's role as long-time mentor of underprivileged youth and her goal of using her law degree to empower others through awareness of their legal rights. Click here to read more.

D.L. Mix (JD 12) The part-time evening program allows D.L. Mix to attend law school while working as a criminal investigator at the San Francisco District Attorney's Office. Although busy balancing the demands of work and school, she has been able to complete a condensed, winter intersession study abroad program in East Africa and volunteer with student organizations on GGU's campus. Click here to read the full interview.

Nioura Foad-Ghazni (JD/MBA 11) Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nioura Foad-Ghazni is making the most of her time at Golden Gate. While hard at work with her academic studies, Nioura realizes the importance of networking and finds opportunities to build her career through the JD/MBA program and beyond. Her amazing family supports her through it all.

Andrew Luring (JD 11) Andrew Luring is committed to social justice, and thrived in Golden Gate Law's in-house Women's Employment Rights Clinic. In his own words, "I have learned how to build rapport with clients, conduct intake interviews over the phone and in person, utilize my colleagues to effectively use my time, manage and organize case files, and how to efficiently function within a firm." Read more about Andrew here.

Zack Newhouse (JD 11) Zack Newhouse had his mind set on going to law school from an early age. Now well on his way to becoming a successful attorney, he finds time in his day to mentor first-year law students and help them with their transition to law school. Zack emphasizes the importance of getting involved and how Golden Gate's litigation program help him stay connected to his passion.

Royl Roberts (JD 11) Royl Roberts is a part-time student with a strong presence on campus. Grateful for the opportunities he has been given, Royl is committed to giving back to his community. Before starting his JD, he completed an MBA and worked several years in the fiancial services sector. Click here to read more.

Anitra Zobeck (JD 11) Anitra Zobeck first got the idea to go to law school when she worked as a legal secretary at a labor law firm in St. Louis. Although initially doubting the law could be a profession for her, she since learned that it is indeed what she is meant to do. As the 2010-2011 President of the Student Bar Association, she encourages students to get involved: "In law school, you have to find your own way."

Catherine Delcin (JD and Honors Lawyering Program 10) As a teenager, Catherine Delcin moved with her family from her native Port au Prince, Haiti, to the cultural melting pot of Miami, USA. Her observation of how the law was applied in these two countries led to a fascination with policy and the rule of law which inspired her to go to law school. While at Golden Gate, she participated in the Honors Lawyering Program and served as the President of the Black Law Student Association.

Alyssa Gendron (JD 10) Before coming to law school, Alyssa Gendron worked in non-profit fundraising and program administration, through which she learned about the importance of tax law. After completing her JD in May 2010, she plans to continue in the LLM Tax program at Golden Gate. Alyssa speaks highly of the GGU community, stating; "In talking with students from other law schools, it seems that the relationships I have developed with the faculty and my peers since Day 1 of orientation are not the norm!"

Jon Golinger (JD 10) Jon Golinger came to Golde Gate Law with several years of experience as a community organizer and lobbyist. With law school under his belt he aims to continue fighting the good fight. Click here to learn more.

Otis Landerholm (JD and Honors Lawyering Program 10) Getting the most out of each day is a life philosophy for Otis Landerholm. Before coming to Golden Gate, he traveled the world and gained fluency in several languages. During law school, he participated in several internships, served as the President of the National Lawyers Guild Chapter, and finally received a graduation award for most Outstanding Student in the Honors Lawyering Program. With no surprise, his advice to new law students is: "Law school goes by so quickly; get involved as much as you can to maximize these years."

Ryan Lockhart (JD and Honors Lawyering Program 10) Ryan majored in criminal justice in college and continued on to the U.S. Air Force as a security police officer. His later position as a correctional officer in a jail solidified his interest in the law, and brought him to Golden Gate and the Honors Lawyering Program. Click here to read more about Ryan.

Trevor Nguyen (JD/MBA 10) As the 2009-2010 President of the Student Bar Association, Trevor Nguyen balances the academic and interpersonal dimensions of law school, and advises his peers to take learning beyond classrooms and textbooks. Drucilla S. Ramey, Dean of Golden Gate Law, sat down with Trevor to chat about his background, passions and aspirations in this student spotlight.

Pat Ryan (JD 10) After a successful career as a musician in the band A Subtle Plague and eight published records, Pat is marrying his interests in music and law at Golden Gate. Read here how the intellectual property certificate program and an independent study option may allow Pat to gain ownership of the products of his musical past.

Rebekah Sexton (JD 10) Rebekah Sexton plans to marry her law degree with her interest in medicine and pursue a career in personal injury law. In this interview, she shared with us some of her law school triumphs and challenges, and what keeps her going through it all. Click here for the full story.

Betsy Brazy (JD 09) Challenging experiences in Betsy Brazy's personal life led her to leave her career in journalism to pursue a profession as a disability rights attorney. Professor Susan Rutberg interviewed Betsy to learn more about her background, goals and beliefs.

Kalina Laleva (JD and Honors Lawyering Program 09) Bulgarian Kalina Laleva's unique experiences inform her perspective on U.S. legal education. She studies law with a passion and diligence of which her grandmother would be extremely proud. Click here for the full story.

Lauren Laundis (JD 09) Read what Lauren Laundis has to say about being a student, school teacher and mother, and how she ended up in law school. Click here for Lauren's story.

Heather Shallenberger (JD 09) Heather Shallenberger lived in Germany for 13 years before returning to her native Bay Area. Heather has a profound interest in criminal law and wants to start her career as a criminal defense attorney. Read more about Heather here.

Ariel Ungerleider (JD/MBA 09) Ariel Ungerleider served as President of the Student Bar Association, and was activly involved in a number of other student organizations. With her impressive engagement and advocacy on campus, we were not surprised to learn of her background as a competitive athlete and cheerleader, and we knew we could count on her to shout "Go Griffins!" from the Commencement podium. All we can say is "Go Ariel!"

Un Kei Wu (JD 09) Un Kei Wu has lived in no less than four continents, and would love to experience every corner of the world. How does her unique background influence her take on law school? Click here to find out.

Ken Duong (JD/MBA and Honors Lawyering Program 08) The JD/MBA program served to facilitate Ken Duong's goal of starting his own business. Ultimately, he hopes to have a small multinational firm specializing in providing comprehensive total financial planning. Click here to learn how GGU supports him along his career path.

Andrew Grossman (JD and Honors Lawyering Program 08) "I came to law school to attain the tools I need to assert my rights, the rights of others, and to bring about policy changes in an effective way," says Andrew Grossman. Click here to read more about Andrew and how he intends to put his law degree to work.

Roger Chang (JD/MBA 07) We met with Roger Chang to learn more about being a JD/MBA student. In addition to his studies, Roger is also a fantastic musician who has played at several GGU events. click here to read more.

Kimberly Chew (JD 07) We spoke with Kim Chew during her second year as at GGU Law. We learned that Kim Chew is a mother of twins and a mentor of many. Click here to learn more.

Paula Rasmussen (JD 07) We spoke with Paula Rasmussen during her third year in the JD program. Click here to find out more about this talented woman.

Joshua Saunders (JD 07) Josh Saunders feels valued as a GGU student - "people here want me to succeed" he told us. Click here to learn about Josh and some of his unique life experiences.

Richard Sinkoff (JD 06) Richard Sinkoff shared with us his experiences as a part time JD student. He is a well traveled renaissance man who is devoted to his field of study. Click here for the full interview.