Sumer Ghazala (Trials 2016)
June 7, 2022
In continuing the AT Foundation’s new series of TRIALS Alumni Spotlight posts, this spring, TRIALS alumna Sumer Ghazala, Class of 2016, shares a bit about her life and her law school journey.
Name: Sumer Ghazala
Undergraduate School and Major: University of Michigan - Economics and Political Science Major in the Honors Program
Law School: Yale Law School
Previous Job(s): Various internships, including SpaceX, Michigan Attorney General's Office, and Wayne County Third Circuit Court in Detroit
Current Job: Associate at Williams & Connolly LLP
1. What is your favorite memory from TRIALS?
After a long week of LSAT prep and practice tests, my roommate Kiah and I threw a little party at our apartment (shoutout to Apartment 2B at NYU Alumni Hall) for our TRIALS cohort. We were DJing and dancing to songs from a playlist of early 2000s jams many in the cohort had created together. It was one of those moments where I realized that I had become part of a new community that had quickly become my family, and that these folks were going to be in my life for a very long time. Six years later that turned out to be very true.
2. Who was your most impactful teacher and why?
My high school biology teacher, Linda Wichers, reinforced my love of learning and got me started on my "side passion" of aerospace engineering.
3. What originally got you interested in law?
Dealing with immigration and finances as an Arab Muslim in America naturally forced me to be aware of how law and politics affected our lives. Pursuing law became the best way I knew to better understand and address the issues that impacted my community and many others.
4. Where’s the next place on your travel bucket list and why?
Iraq. I want to see my parent's birthplace and visit family still living there. Despite the torment it has undergone, Iraq is still such a beautiful place and is rich with history. I'd love to gain a stronger attachment to the land my ancestors called home.
5. What’s your favorite holiday?
I look forward to Ramadan and the Eid that follows every year. It's a lovely time to build and reinforce a sense of community and a spiritual connection to Islam, as well as develop discipline and other valuable character traits.