While I do not consider myself a huge activist, I value freedom of speech very highly. I have been very outspoken against UCLA's Time, Place, and Manner policies that effectively restrict student protest and yes, feel like censorship. I understand that UCLA is not an agent of the government, but as a public school, it receives government funding and therefore must uphold our First Amendment rights. In the spring semester of my first year at the UCLA School of Law, we had weeks of protests against the genocide in Palestine. Students were particularly concerned about the University of California Regents investing in companies like Blackrock that profited off the genocide or supported the Israel Defense Forces. In response to these protests, UCLA allowed for police to shoot students with rubber bullets. A friend of a friend was hospitalized due to injuries from a rubber bullet. This is completely unacceptable behavior allowed by an academic institution. Two years later, at the actual law school building, the administration allowed a Department of Homeland Security lawyer on campus. He was invited by the Federalist Society at our school, seemingly just to promote controversy among the students. The school did not inform students about this event. Students had to find out through the grapevine. A large chunk of the student population was afraid to attend classes, which is particularly unfortunate given that this was actually the last day of class for many members of the class of 2026. I attended class, but I'll never forget how haunting it was to see dozens of police officers and security guards roaming the halls. It felt incredibly militarized and unsafe, even though the justification for police presence was purportedly student safety. For the event itself, student questions had to be submitted beforehand and were heavily censored. Students that were not part of the Federalist Society were asked to remain silent during the program. This resulted in a silent protest at the actual event and then a real protest outside in the courtyard. It is incredibly disheartening and honestly, humiliating to attend a school that disrespects their students like this. All this is to say that I incredibly value freedom of speech and I can see it being attacked in real time. It feels like a joke for the integrity of the constitution to be set aside for the desires of this fascist regime and for the "renowned" school that I attended to dismiss student concerns and limit their voices.

I am an advocate. As I prepare for my law school commencement ceremony taking place in just two days, I have reflected a lot on my experience these past three years. Time after time, I find myself in leadership roles. Whether it is leading as Chair of the First Generation Law Student Association, mentoring as a coach for the Williams Institute Moot Court Competition, or volunteering with A New Way of Life to write expungement declarations for indigent clients, I measure my life by how much I am able to advocate for others. As I have reflected, I recount several times throughout my law school experience where people look to me for support and guidance. Especially in my second and third years, I had first-year students asking me how to approach networking, exams, and mitigating burnout. Most recently, I encouraged a student who was worried about failing school to seek mental health support and also connected him to the student support dean at school. I had to talk with the dean my first year and understood how overwhelming and vulnerable it can feel. I used my experience to help make this problem-solving easier for someone else. Some people are not able to reach out to the right resources on campus, because they do not know how. I used the advantage of my more extensive network and familiarity with how law school works to make sure other students received the support they needed. This fall, I will be a public defender for Los Angeles County. These skills of advocacy have prepared me to be the most zealous defense attorney in the county. I plan to make a positive impact by speaking up for those who are constantly silenced within the system. I understand my clients will have minimal resources and will rely on me, my connections, and my expertise to tackle their problems. I will do so with dignity and respect, which I believe will be, unfortunately, life-changing for some of my clients. Becoming an advocate has taught me how much of advocacy is about empathy. My experience in the expungement work has taught me that sometimes, people just need someone to listen to them. And while I am not a therapist or social worker, and my main job is to provide legal advice, I believe my relationships with my clients will be stronger and more beneficial for both of us if it is clear that I am an empathetic advocate for them. I will make it clear to each client that we are a team working together to achieve their goals. I will emphasize that a large part of my job is to supplement their own autonomy, not to boss them around or completely dismiss their concerns. I believe that just having a positive impact on one individual will have a butterfly effect on the rest of the world.