Section 1 Peer Advisors

Rourke Donahue

Hometown: Arlington, VA

Undergraduate Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Philosophy)

Areas of Professional Interest: Art Law, Intellectual Property Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Cooking, running, and painting

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Go to the U.S. Botanical Gardens!

Abby HollandPhoto of Abby Holland

Hometown: Miami, FL

Undergraduate Institution: University of Alabama (Latin with a Minor in Spanish)

Areas of Professional Interest: Biglaw, specifically white collar litigation

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Cooking and yoga

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: I love to walk to the Lincoln Memorial and sit on the steps in the late afternoon when the sun is setting.

Katherine KubakPhotograph of Katherine Kubak

Hometown: Moorestown, NJ

Undergraduate Institution: Boston College (Economics & History)

Areas of Professional Interest: Litigation

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Long walks, lighting candles, and cuddling my puppy

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Trying out new restaurants and walking The Mall

Leemah NasratiPhotograph of Leemah Nasrati

Hometown: Omaha, NE

Undergraduate Institution: University of Nebraska – Lincoln (Political Science, Global Studies, Religious Studies, Arabic Studies, Latin (Classics))

Areas of Professional Interest: Refugee Law, Policy, and Advocacy

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Cooking good dinners. It’s a break I’m forced to give myself (ya gotta eat, folks!), I get (hopefully) to enjoy the meal, and the “follow these steps and you will get the desired outcome” quality of recipes is a nice reprieve from law school which operates much differently.

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: I’m on a mission to eat my way through the city, and I’m loving every minute of it. Recommendations and co-diners are welcome!

Rachel SchumacherPhotograph of Rachel Schumacher

Hometown: Hudson, OH

Undergraduate Institution: University of Virginia  (Public Policy and Foreign Affairs)

Areas of Professional Interest: International Trade

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Talking on the phone with friends

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Try all the restaurants

Section 2 Peer Advisors

Melody AlemansourPhotograph of Melody Alemansour

Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA

Undergraduate Institution: UC Berkeley (Political Science with a Minor in Farsi)

Areas of Professional Interest: Government Compliance/Enforcement, Public Policy and Law

Favorite wellness or stress-relieving activity: Running!

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Neighborhood hopping

Dyllan Brown-BramblePhotography of Dyllan Brown-Bramble

Hometown: Queens, NY

Undergraduate Institution: Rutgers University (Psychology)

Areas of Professional Interest: Corporate Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Tennis, Long Walks, Meeting New People

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Brunch

Justin LoScalzoPhotograph of Justin LoScalzo

Hometown: Huntington, NY

Undergraduate Institution: Colgate University (Political Science and Economics)

Areas of Professional Interest: International Law, National Security Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Grabbing a meal with friends

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Going to Washington Nationals games

Photo of Caroline OakumCaroline Oakum

Hometown: Hinsdale, IL

Undergraduate Institution: The University of Texas at Austin (Philosophy and Government)

Areas of Professional Interest: Lobbying

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Working out

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Shopping in Georgetown

Ben VallimarescuPhoto of Ben Vallimarescu

Hometown: New York, NY

Undergraduate Institution: Vanderbilt University (Human and Organizational Development & Political Science)

Areas of Professional Interest: Regulatory Law & International Trade

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Talking on the phone with friends

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Try all the restaurants

Neha VyasPhotograph of Neha Vyas

Hometown: Toledo, OH

Undergraduate Institution: University of Michigan(Communication Studies)

Areas of Professional Interest: Litigation (particularly sports litigation)

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Hitting the gym

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Trying out new restaurants

Section 3 Peer Advisors

Richard Bernache Photo of Richard Bernache

Hometown: Boston, MA

Undergraduate Institution: Saint Michael’s College (Political Science & Theatre)

Areas of Professional Interest: Anti-Trust Litigation and Mergers

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Working Out / Movie Night

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Trying new restaurants

Alex BodakenPhoto of Alex Bodaken

Hometown: Silver Spring, MD

Undergraduate Institution: Georgetown University (B.A., History), Lesley University (M.A., Elementary and Special Education)

Areas of Professional Interest: Voting Rights

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Ultimate Frisbee

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Eat Jamaican Food at Negril Jamaican Eatery

Justin FitzsimmonsPhoto of Justin Fitzsimmons

Hometown: Washington, DC

Undergraduate Institution: Santa Clara University (Philosophy)

Areas of Professional Interest: Criminal Law, Constitutional Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Playing pickup basketball

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: See as many Smithsonian museums as I can

Ezra TanenPhoto of Ezra Tanen

Hometown: Toronto, Canada

Undergraduate Institution: York University (Health Studies)

Areas of Professional Interest: Federal budget law, non-profit organizations

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Bike riding on the Rock Creek Trail, it’s not possible to be stressed there.

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: The Renwick Gallery is fantastic, it’s really small and not overwhelming, the exhibits are interactive, and the entire museum is photo-friendly.

Section 4 Peer Advisors

Sabiya AhamedPhoto of Sabiya Ahamed

Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

Undergraduate Institution: Brown University (Middle East Studies & Political Science)

Areas of Professional Interest: Human Rights, Immigration, Social Justice

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Petting cats, trying to find the best hot chocolate

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Walking (or scootering!) around the landmarks at night

Halle Edwards Photo of Halle Edwards

Hometown: Salt Lake City, Utah

Undergraduate Institution: Stanford University (B.A., English), Northwestern University (M.A., English)

Areas of Professional Interest: Litigation, LGBTQ+ rights, Environmental Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Writing

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Visiting Union Market

Dana HolmstrandPhoto of Dana Holmstrand

Hometown: Wheeling, West Virginia

Undergraduate Institution: The College of William & Mary (Public Policy)

Areas of Professional Interest: Data Privacy and Cybersecurity

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Taking a long walk with a podcast or new album

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Going to the Botanic Gardens or walking the monuments at night

Alexander NealonPhoto of Alex Nealon

Hometown: Miami, FL

Undergraduate Institution: Georgetown University (Government Major, Japanese Minor)

Areas of Professional Interest: Corporate Law, with an interest in IP, Technology, Sports, and Entertainment

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Video games and internet memes

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Go to baseball games and trying new ramen restaurants

David PattersonPhoto of David Patterson

Hometown: Austin, TX

Undergraduate Institution: The University of Texas at Austin ( Bachelor of Business Administration and Master of Professional Accounting)

Areas of Professional Interest: Tax, Corporate (M&A, Capital Markets, Private Equity)

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Going to the gym and playing piano

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Kickball on the National Mall

Maggie WhitePhoto of Maggie White

Hometown: McAlester, Oklahoma

Undergraduate Institution: University of Oklahoma (Bachelor of Business Administration, Entrepreneurship and Bachelor of Arts, Letters)

Areas of Professional Interest: Family Law, Poverty Law, Direct Legal Services

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Exercising

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Visiting museums (especially the National Gallery of Art)

Section 5 Peer Advisors

Brittany NeihardtPhoto of Brittany Neihardt

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Undergraduate Institution: Georgetown University (Government Major, Justice & Peace Studies Minor)

Areas of Professional Interest: International human rights and humanitarian law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Reading, exploring parks and gardens

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Walking along the waterfront

Laura SingerPhoto of Laura Singer

Hometown: Ramsey, New Jersey

Undergraduate Institution: Syracuse University (Political Science), John’s Hopkins University (Master of Science in Education)

Areas of Professional Interest: Corporate Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: I run half marathons!

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Attend Nationals and Capitals Games

Sanaya TamboliPhoto of Sanaya Tamboli

Hometown: Tampa, FL

Undergraduate Institution: University of Florida)Political Science and International Studies, minor in Anthropology)

Areas of Professional Interest: International law, national security law, human rights law, corporate law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Walks to the Supreme Court, knitting, boxing, movies

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Watching things at the Kennedy Center

Sarah TurnerPhoto of Sarah Turner

Hometown: LaFayette, GA

Undergraduate Institution: Duke University (Psychology & History)

Areas of Professional Interest: Private Sector — undecided between litigation and transactional

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Hiking, running, boxing, binging a new show, or petting a stranger’s dog

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Play tourist on the weekends and take advantage of all the free museums and the awesome monuments down the road!

Vanisha WeatherspoonPhoto of Vanisha Weathersppn

Hometown: Kileen, TX

Undergraduate Institution: Texas A&M University (English/ History), Concordia University (M.A. Education Policy)

Areas of Professional Interest: Real estate/ healthcare

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Yoga

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Trying new restaurants

Section 7 Peer Advisors

Erika Pringle BrownPhoto of Erika Pringle Brown

Hometown: North Little Rock, AR

Undergraduate Institution: Florida A&M University (Architecture)

Areas of Professional Interest: Employment Law and Health Law

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Time with my kids, prayer

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Explore the Architecture

Alexandra LopezPhoto of Alex Lopez

Hometown: Tampa, FL

Undergraduate Institution: University of Virginia (undergrad and Masters in finance)

Areas of Professional Interest: Child advocacy, national security, international law and technology

Favorite Wellness or Stress-relieving Activity: Yoga and running

Favorite Thing to Do in DC: Walking around the mall on a nice day