Student Profiles
Lisa M. Gangi, L '10
Glen Allen, Va.
Lisa seems to be an unlikely candidate for law school. She holds a doctorate in genetics and molecular biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and spent 10 years at the National Institutes of Health, running her own research lab. She won a cancer research training award and awards for scientific merit based on research of Microarray applications in profiling breast and ovarian cancer. Her group published manuscripts in top tier journals such as the National Academy of Science’s Cancer and Proceedings. She was invited to lecture on molecular profiling of breast and ovarian tumors at institutes across the U.S., Europe and South America, and she volunteered at a free health clinic that treated homeless and migrant workers, often translating for Spanish-speaking patients and their doctors. Then she decided to come to Richmond to law school where her focus is on health law and intellectual property law. She hopes to find a niche that will combine her interests in medicine and cancer research with the law.
Nate Denny, L '09
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Nate’s interest in politics has drawn him into work in several successful campaigns since his graduation in 2004 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked for two years in a political consulting firm that assisted such winning candidates as governors Mike Easley of North Carolina and Tim Kaine of Virginia, as well as U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey of Pennsylvania.
Since coming to the Law School, he’s moved from politico to student leader. Nate ran successfully for president of the Student Bar Association, a job that kept him busy during his third year of law school. He also participated in the Law School’s Juvenile Law & Policy Clinic, was a member of the Client Counseling & Negotiation Board, and co-chaired the 2008 Robert R. Merhige Jr. National Environmental Negotiation Competition.
Nate visited Richmond “on a whim” and was immediately struck by the beautiful campus, the close-knit Law School community, and the opportunities Richmond affords students through its proximity to courts, government agencies, and a variety of firms and public interest entities. The location between his North Carolina home and Washington also is a plus.
Nate hopes to stay involved in politics and one day practice regulatory and election law. He was recently selected as a 2009 Presidential Management Fellow and now works in the U.S. General Services Administration's Public Building Service.
Kathryn (Kate) Moses, L'09
Fairfax, Va. / San Diego, Calif.
Kate Moses grew up in Fairfax, VA and attended the University of Virginia, majoring in Math. She then went on to pursue her Masters in Secondary Education, graduating in 2001. Subsequently, Kate moved to San Francisco and worked for Providian Financial as a market analyst. After two years in San Francisco, Kate moved to San Diego to teach high school trigonometry, statistics, and algebra, in addition to coaching the school’s girl’s lacrosse team. After being far away from her family for five years, Kate decided to attend Richmond Law not only because of its proximity to loved ones, but because she felt "at home" on the Richmond campus and was impressed at how warmly the faculty and staff treated students. Kate cites her assigned carrel (no need to fight for study space!) and her ability to participate in intramural flag football as her other favorite things about attending Richmond Law. After graduation, Kate hopes to combine her background in education with her law degree to continue working with children.
Chelsea Dunn, L '09
Lynchburg, Va.
Chelsea has devoted time and effort to pro bono work, public interest and volunteer projects from her first days at the Law School. This was a continuation of volunteer efforts from her undergraduate days when she often focused on the needs of children. In Charleston, as an undergraduate, Chelsea interned as a child victim advocate with People Against Rape. She also helped bring about a conference at which she presented strategies for overcoming achievement gaps in South Carolina public schools. At Richmond, Chelsea immediately became involved with the Public Interest Law Association and the Street Law Program. She traveled to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and worked with the Student Hurricane Network to provide post-Katrina relief. She has volunteered with JustChildren, a Virginia advocacy program that works to provide legal counsel and support for children with disabilities, mental health problems, or who have become involved in the juvenile justice system; served as a legal intern and research assistant at the Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender center; and worked as a student associate in the Juvenile Law and Policy Center. Chelsea also worked for a summer on the Mississippi Youth Justice Project with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Dunn was one of seven Richmond law students selected as a 2009 Presidential Management Fellowship finalist.
Vinicius Portugal, L'09
Kissimmee, Fla.
Looking for a change of scenery, but wanting to stay close to the D.C. area, Vinicius came to Richmond Law after receiving his degree from George Washington University. Richmond Law offered him all he could ask for: an easy commute to DC, extensive networking connections, and a close-knit student body. Since entering the law school, Vinicius has taken advantage of much of what Richmond Law offers. He is a member the International Law Students Association, Christian Law Fellowship, American Constitution Society, Phi Alpha Delta, as well as the ABA and Student Bar Association. His legal interests are focused on international law (He was born in Rio de Janeiro and speaks Portuguese, German, Spanish, and French), and he hopes to get involved in that area in either the private or public sector.
Alexandra Williamson, L'09
San Antonio, Tx.
Alexandra Williamson chose Richmond Law for the positive environment. When she visited the school, she was overcome with how beautiful it was and how warm and welcoming the students and staff were. She was also impressed with Richmond Law's great reputation and appreciated it's proximity to Washington, D.C. Alexandra attended Georgetown University where she studied international relations in the School of Foreign Service.
While an undergrad, she interned with Women's Campaign Fund and the State Department, worked on the School of Foreign Service Academic Council, and was a member of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity and numerous other university organizations. Although she is originally from San Antonio, Alexandra has lived and traveled all over Europe, Africa and the Middle East. She credits her time abroad for her love of international affairs and after graduating from law school, she hopes to move to D.C. and continue her work in that field.
Evan Miller, L'08
Sanger, California
Although her library carrel is thousands of miles away from her home in California's Central Valley, Evan Miller feels right at home at Richmond Law. Evan, a sixth-generation Californian and alum of Univ. of California-San Diego, first became interested in Richmond Law during her tenure as a Legislative Aide on Capital Hill. Looking for the small school environment in a big city, Evan chose Richmond Law. Miller added that Richmond Law makes "you feel like you are a big part of something, instead of being one in a thousand."
Like many of her classmates, Miller feels like Richmond Law has prepared her for success wherever she chooses to reside.At Richmond, Evan balances her academic responsibilities with her membership on the Law Review, Honor Council, Federalist Society, and Christian Legal Fellowship. "I have found a home at T.C. Williams because the faculty and staff treat you like their colleague, and the amazing friendships I’ve made here will be with me forever," she added.
Martine Gaujean, L'09
New York, N.Y.
Martine has traveled and lived all over the world, but when she was selecting a law school, she was impressed by Richmond’s collegial environment, noting that at the law school, “there are no strangers here only friends we haven’t met.” She also appreciates the small classes and the gothic beauty of the Richmond campus. Since arriving at the law school, Martine has joined the Intramural Flag Football League, the Black Law Students’ Association, and the International Law Students’ Association.
A first generation American, Martine graduated from Tufts University in 1996 and the continued on to Columbia University’s graduate school program in Paris, France. While at Tufts, she was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Third Day Gospel Choir, and was selected as sales leader for AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Science Economique et Commerciale). After completing her degree at Richmond Law, Martine hopes to use her international experience to work as a diplomat or for an international corporation.
Gurpreet Dhillon, L'07
McLean, Va.
Once glance at Gurpreet’s resume, and one can’t help but be impressed by his commitment to public service. After graduating from the College of William and Mary and receiving his masters from the George Washington University, Gurpreet helped found and served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Sikh Coalition, a national civil rights advocacy organization. In that capacity, his responsibilities there included lobbying various federal and NGO institutions, including both houses of Congress, the Transportation Security Administration, and Department of Justice. While in law school, he has been involved with the School of Law’s Institute for Actual Innocence from its inception and spent the summer after his first year researching death penalty issues and developing the operational infrastructure. During his second summer, Gurpreet traveled to Los Angeles to work on labor, employment, and immigration issues with Richmond Law alum Victor Narro at the UCLA Downtown Labor Center.
When he was selecting a law school, Richmond stood out to him in a number of ways. The relatively "small" class size was appealing from an academic perspective and he was impressed by the quality of the faculty and the teaching. He notes, “The fact that even the most prominent and highly published professors are accessible in and out of the classroom is very important in considering one's options.” He also enjoys the law school’s intramural athletics (he plays flag football, basketball, and soccer) and is an active member of the Client Counseling and Negotiation Board.
Spencer Bolander, L'10
Virginia Beach, Va.
Spencer has worked quietly and tirelessly since coming to the Law School with underserved populations in the Richmond and Virginia Beach areas. In the summer after his first year, he was one of several Richmond law students to receive stipends for doing public interest work. He spent the summer in the Senior Law Center of the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia in Norfolk, where he assisted older clients with various issues including housing, bankruptcy, Social Security, and family law issues, as well as a major project on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. He also has worked with underprivileged children through the Street Law program, volunteered with the Legal Aid Housing Law Program, and spent a week in New Orleans in both his first and second years working on pro bono projects in concert with the Student Hurricane Network. Additionally, Spencer undertook research with the Institute for Actual Innocence at Richmond, which seeks to exonerate wrongly convicted individuals in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and spent a summer working for a law firm specializing in immigration law. Spencer was initially attracted to Richmond Law by what he saw as the school's student-centered focus and emphasis on the law's practical applications, which he believes will serve him well in the future.