Roger Chang

Roger Chang is a fourth-year JD/MBA student. He is also a fantastic musician who often plays at GGU events. Read on to find out more about him!

Tell me something special or interesting about your background before you went to law school?

As anyone who has been to a PILF auction knows, Roger is our law school's resident musician! As the son of a father who plays classical guitar and a mother who used to sing, Roger started his musical career in elementary school, when he played the violin and the piano. In high school, he picked up his dad's old acoustic guitar and started playing that, later joining a 6-member high school band. (Roger laughingly confesses the band would give out free cookies to draw people to their shows.) In college at Syracuse University, Roger studied marketing/advertising by day, but fed his musical ambition by night by forming a band, called Austin Hill, that played gigs at local bars and coffee shops. In addition to playing their instruments, each of the three band members wrote songs and sang, each in his own unique style. After graduation, Austin Hill toured the DC and Northern Virginia area for a year before Roger moved out to San Francisco for law school. Although school has dominated most of his time, Roger plays every year at the PILF Auction and is contemplating getting back into playing by performing at open mic nights. He's still writing new songs and feels it is important to reserve some space in his life for his musical interests in order to maintain a healthy balance.

Why did you decide to go to law school?

As Roger was contemplating business school, a lot of business ethics issues started to receive major press, piquing Roger's interest in the law as well as business. He aspired to enter a joint JD/MBA program to eventually practice business law, and was excited to discover Golden Gate's program. He has found the pursuit of the joint degree to be very fruitful and lead to a well-rounded understanding of issues that arise in the business world. For instance, last spring, Roger worked at the City Attorney's Office in the labor department, where he helped gather facts on harassment complaints. In management classes, he had learned about harassment, focusing more on the prevention side, while the legal work experience focused more on what to do once a complaint is filed.

Tell me something special or interesting about your law school experience.

Roger found that learning to think like a lawyer has been one of the more interesting impacts law school has had on him. He went golfing with dad once, and as they were driving the golf cart through a one-lane, two-way tunnel to get from one hole to another, unbeknownst to them, another golf cart was coming from the other direction down the same one-lane tunnel, resulting in what almost amounted to a collision between the two golf carts. Roger's dad was seeing his life flash before his eyes, while Roger was preoccupied with the potential liability of the golf course and the standard of care required. Roger is surprised by how remarkably law school has changed what he notices in his personal life, and he enjoys how this different way of thinking keeps him on his toes, applying the law to the facts of his day-to-day life!

What is your greatest source of motivation/support as you work towards your JD?

Roger attributes his motivation to his family and their encouragement and support of him, especially in challenging times. He also credits the Golden Gate faculty with inspiring him to do well in school. He marvels at how much his professors have accomplished throughout their lives, balancing their careers with their personal priorities with a tremendous amount of dedication and energy. Roger, who served as the President of APALSA last year and still is an active member of the organization, also cites GGU student organizations as a source of motivation and support. He applauds the organizations' commitment to what they stand for, as well as their passion, community activism, academic support, and leadership.

What is your favorite thing you do when you are not at law school?

Roger is a foodie - he loves going to out to eat and having the opportunity to enjoy the many boutique restaurants in San Francisco. These days, he's recommending Alamo Square Seafood Grill and Burgermeister.

If not at GGU, where can we find you?

Aside from Alamo Square Seafood Grill and Burgermeister, Roger can be found at home or at Golden Gate Park, relaxing, running, or people-watching, when he's not at GGU.