AMBASSADOR PROFILES
UBC Law's Student Ambassadors The 2012 - 2013 Ambassadors are: Neal Bennet Neal Bennet is a third year student at UBC Law. Neal grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing high school he lived briefly in England before moving to Vancouver. Neal completed a BA in Cognitive Science at Simon Fraser University, and has Certificate in English Language Teaching from the University of Cambridge. Neal comes to UBC as a mature student, having previously worked in the field of Education as a teacher and academic administrator. In his first year, Neal was involved with the Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) and Legal Exposure Outreach (LEO), and participated in the FMC Negotiation Competition. He is interested in Criminal, Constitutional, and Human Rights Law, and hopes to work in the public sector after graduation. Neal lives in the West End with his wife and their three year old son. He speaks English and Afrikaans. His interests outside of school include running, hiking, travel, and games of all kinds. Samantha Chang (Head Ambassador) Samantha is a third year student at UBC Law. Born and raised in Vancouver as a diehard Canucks fan, she completed her BCom at McGill before entering law school at UBC. During her time at UBC Law, Samantha worked as a research assistant for Professor Benjamin Perrin in promoting awareness about human trafficking in Canada, served as a the Head Editor of the UBC Legal Careers Guide, and participated in the Innocence Project. Samantha was also the UBC Law Orientation Week 2011 Coordinator. In her third year, Samantha is one of the directors of the UBC Law Graduation Committee. Samantha is interested in corporate and commercial law and is summering with the Vancouver office of Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP. Elise Everest Elise grew up in South Surrey, BC where as an outspoken and opinionated child, she was told that she should become a lawyer. Not convinced, Elise completed a BA in Communication and English Literature at Simon Fraser University with dreams of becoming an author. One of the highlights of her undergraduate career was an exchange to Glasgow, Scotland where she spent a year studying Journalism and Creative Writing. Upon graduation, Elise worked in the hospitality industry, notably managing a restaurant and working for a winery. Elise has trained as a sommelier and has a passion for libations both red and white. Somewhere between sipping wine in a vineyard and bartending until the wee hours, Elise realized that maybe her friends and family were right about her all along. Elise has relished the intellectual challenge of law school so far. In her first year at UBC Law, Elise has edited for the UBC Law Review and conducted research for a project with Pro Bono Students Canada while maintaining a part-time job in a Vancouver hotel. Elise is also a member of the UBC Law Curling Club. As of the summer of 2012 Elise is extremely excited to take on a role with the UBC Law Career Services Office, and as a new UBC Law Ambassador, welcome future students of UBC Law! Emmanuel Fung Emmanuel was born and raised in Vancouver where he completed a B.A. in Sociology at UBC. As a first year law student, he was involved in the Law Students' Legal Advice Program, the Asia Pacific Lawyers Club and the Christian Law Students Association. Emmanuel is interested in Chinese law and trade issues and is excited to be doing research in these areas this summer. During his spare time, he enjoys cooking and keeping up with news out of China. He looks forward to welcoming new students! Natasha Jategaonkar Before entering law school, Nat spent seven years working in Vancouver as an epidemiologist and researcher in the fields of substance use, housing, and women's health. As a third year student, her academic interests include health policy, social justice, labour & employment law, and public law. Last year, she represented UBC Law at the National Labour Arbitration Moot competition and she & her teammate won first place! Nat participates in a number of clubs and activities at UBC Law, including the Student Ethics Committee, the Law in Medicine Club, the Social Justice Action Network, and the Women's Rugby team. She has also been a performer at the annual UBC Law Revue show for two years. Nat is originally from Halifax NS and Deep River ON and she completed her Bachelor of Science degree at McGill University (Honours in Microbiology & Immunology) and Master of Science degree at Queen's University (Community Health & Epidemiology). Nat's hobbies outside of school include rock-climbing and creative writing. Spencer Landsiedel Spencer was born and raised in Abbotsford, B.C., where he also completed a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) degree in Accounting and Finance at the University of the Fraser Valley. Prior to law school, Spencer was a national-level swimmer, competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Trials and representing Canada at the 2007 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Kihei, Hawai'i. While studying for his undergraduate degree, he switched sports and began rowing for the UFV varsity team, achieving top ten finishes at the BC Rowing Championships and the National Rowing Championships. In his first-year of the JD/MBA program, Spencer has been a volunteer juror for the Peter Burns Mock Trial, participated in the annual Fraser Milner Casgrain Negotiation Competition, and volunteered at local secondary schools with the UBC Legal Education Outreach program. Outside of law school, Spencer plays jazz piano and enjoys gourmet cooking. Alex Norris Alex is excited to be in Vancouver after growing up in small-town Alberta and spending four years in small-town Nova Scotia. She completed her BBA at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and spent a semester at the University College Dublin before taking a year off school to work for the Olympics (yes, she had excellent seats to the men's gold medal hockey game). While at UBC Law, Alex participated in several excellent events and student groups. She has been active with the Women's Caucus, where she helped organize the annual Women & the Law Dinner, and she has taken part in many events put on by the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies. She has volunteered with LSLAP, practiced yoga at the weekly sessions for law students, and is an executive member of the brand new UBC Law women's rugby team (which every female should consider joining). She would be happy to answer any questions about the CFLS, East Coast music, or exchange programs at UBC! Anthony Oliver Anthony Oliver decided on law school upon realizing that serving as a Sheriff did not fulfill his need to think critically - boy oh boy, do we get our share of it here! Anthony is again participating in competitive sports on the Illegal Beavers Rugby Team. The team has a strong history of service to the Faculty of Law, representing the school at home and in other jurisdictions. One of Anthony's most important contributions to UBC Law has been his involvement as an elected member of the Indigenous Law Students' Association (ILSA). In the position of President, he seeks to support fellow Aboriginal law students and to implement initiatives that will benefit the student body as a whole. This year, along with ILSA, he is participating on the Law Students' Society Executive as the Director of Aboriginal and Academic Issues. Anthony's activities outside of school includes providing recreational activity for a six-year-old boy with special needs and maintaining part-time employment at a recreation centre in North Vancouver, where he mentors and supports members of all ages with advice and positive reinforcement for their fitness goals. He also continues to be an active contributor with the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group, responding to information requests for incarcerated individuals seeking rehabilitation. Law school is proving challenging and rewarding for Anthony. He is thankful for his involvement and hopes that you will speak with him if his experiences whet your interest and you want more info on law school. Dustin Paul Born in Saskatchewan but raised in Vancouver since childhood, Dustin is in his third year at UBC Law. He completed a diploma program at Langara College, specializing in criminal justice, before moving on to work on his undergraduate degree in Criminology at SFU. During his first year he volunteered as a clinician with the Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) and participated in the Environmental Moot available to all students. Currently 29 years old, he was in a motorcycle accident at the age of 19 that left him a quadriplegic. Not be deterred, the former avid outdoorsman, thrill seeker, and fishing enthusiast still actively enjoys the local geography at every opportunity. He also refuses to let studying get in the way of enjoying his beloved Canucks. Dustin will be summering with Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP. Nivi Ramaswamy Nivi is an international student in her second year at UBC law. She was raised on four military bases in India and has lived in three US cities. Nivi has a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from VTU in Bangalore, India and a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech. Before coming to law school, Nivi worked for several years as an Environmental Engineer for a consulting firm in Boston. She also worked as a research assistant during both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Nivi is the Assistant Editor of both the UBC Law Review and the UBC International Law Journal. She is also a member of the UBC Law Soccer and Rugby teams. Nivi is fluent in Hindi, Kannada and Tamil. She is trained in three styles of Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi) and is also trained in Salsa dance. Nivi was the Vice-President of her college Theatre Club where she managed award winning production and street theater. She also sits on the Board of Directors of SustainUS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. As an international JD candidate, Nivi is in the unique position to assist and inform potential applicants and incoming students about UBC Law's JD program as well as what you need to know about living in Vancouver as a foreign student. Roja Safartabar Born and raised in Vancouver, Roja is a second year law student at UBC. While completing an undergraduate degree in Communications at Simon Fraser University, Roja took part in student politics, international student conferences, and global volunteering initiatives. Roja has remained active at UBC Law: she has served at the immigration and refugee clinic for the Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP), edited papers for the International Law Journal (ILJ), and has been elected as a director into the Academic Issues Caucus (AIC) for the upcoming year. Roja has very broad interests in law but hopes to pursue a career in litigation. She looks forward to assisting incoming law students in any way that she can! Raylene Smith Raylene was born in Edmonton and moved to Vancouver at age six. She attended Queen's University where she completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts (Psychology). Since starting at UBC Law, Raylene has been involved with LSLAP, the Legal Education Outreach program ("LEO"), and the UBC Law Volleyball team. She also acted as the first-year representative and the Alternative Careers Development Representative on the UBC Law Careers Committee. She was also involved with the planning committee for Law Games 2011. In her third year, Raylene will be one of the directors of the UBC Law Graduation Committee. Raylene is interested in a variety of legal areas, but hopes to complete the Business Law Concentration. Raylene is summering with Singleton Urquhart. She looks forward to meeting all the incoming UBC Law students this year. Alain St. Onge Alain is part of the Juris Doctor class of 2014, at the University of British Columbia. He received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Guelph in 2011, with honours and a specialization in Human Resources. Alain has worked with CoRe Conflict Resolution clinic operated at the university as both a clinician, and as lead contributor to the weekly student blog. In addition, Alain has participated as a clinician with the Law Students' Legal Advice program, providing legal assistance to individuals from lower socio-economic demographics. Alain spent two summers interning at the Corporate Executive Board's Enterprise Council on Small Business. At ECSB he researched best practices for marketing to small business, as well as influential trends affecting the segment such as social media and increasing representation of female entrepreneurs. In his spare time, Alain enjoys staying active taking part in many sports such as basketball, squash, and hockey. Jessica Todd Jessica was born and raised in Vancouver before moving to Edmonton where she received her B.A in History at University of Alberta. After completing her undergrad, Jessica took a year off to work for the Olympics and travel throughout Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. During her first year of law school, Jessica was involved with the Law Review, the Leo Education Outreach program ("LEO") and the Environmental Law Group. She is excited to represent UBC Law students next year on the Careers Committee as a Firm Representative and as a member of the organizing committee for the annual "Hoop-Law" charity basketball tournament. She loves sports and was a member of the UBC Law volleyball and soccer teams this past year. Jessica is interested in a variety of legal areas, including environmental law. She is happy to answer any questions and looks forward to meeting the incoming class of 2015! Aletha Utley (Ambassador Liaison) Aletha Utley was born in Edmonton and spent most of her childhood in Rossland, BC. In 2010, she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at UBC in English Literature and International Relations. During her undergrad, Aletha volunteered with the UBC Arts Undergraduate Society, Arts County Fair, and the YMCA. At UBC Law, Aletha is a clinician with the Law Students' Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) at the Carnegie Clinic and is a member of the Indigenous Law Students' Association (ILSA). She is very excited to be acting as the 2012 Orientation Coordinator for the incoming class of first year students. Aletha is interested in employment and Aboriginal Law, among other practice areas. She enjoys ice hockey, cross-country skiing and spending time with her family and friends. |
