Student Snapshot
Provenance: Weston, Florida, affectionately known by locals as “Westonzuela.” Learning: BS in Journalism, minors in French and Leadership, University of Florida. Languages: Spanish, English. Competitions: Finalist, Wendell F. Grimes Moot Court Competition; Quarter Finalist, BC Client Counseling Competition; Contestant, National Criminal Procedure Tournament. “Advancing to the Grimes Finals was my proudest accomplishment at law school. Moot court gave me confidence that I would be a good lawyer one day.” What She Gave Up for Lent: Pad thai. “I was spending too much time and money trying to find the perfect pad thai. I was obsessed.” She began experimenting with cooking it herself. Now, she says, “I’ve nailed it.”
There were political and economic troubles when my parents left Venezuela. They came to Charleston, South Carolina, where they both earned doctor of pharmacy degrees, and where I was born. My dad wanted to stay in the United States, my mom wanted to go back. They compromised by moving to South Florida, where there is a large Hispanic community.
From the age of 10, I knew I wanted to be a journalist. I chose the University of Florida for its top journalism school. When I took a class on the First Amendment, I was hooked on the idea of combining my love of journalism with the world of media law.
Fate brought me to BC Law. I arrived late at a graduate school career fair but saw someone still packing up at the BC Law table. I thought, “I might as well talk to this woman to make the event count.” She was Associate Dean Tracey West, and we connected immediately. I decided to apply because I had such a good gut feeling.
“Moot court gave me confidence that I would be a good lawyer one day.”
Some people do yoga when they’re stressed. I do student government. At UF, I earned a spot as a student ambassador. Sixty people were chosen out of almost 1,000 applicants. My senior year I was the recruitment chair. My enthusiasm for school spirit and involvement carried over to BC Law. I’ve held leadership positions with the Law Students Association since my first week here and am currently vice president. I’m also on the executive board of LALSA. I’m proudest of helping launch BC Law’s own student ambassador program.
You have to try a lot of things out to find your path. Through five law school internships, I explored a range of legal environments. My 1L summer I worked at National Grid, which exposed me to regulatory law—I loved the complex analysis of policy, statutes, and regulations. It was a breakthrough experience. I realized that I should do litigation and regulatory law within the media industry.