“Got a Minute?” with LL.M. student Yuerong Cao.
Welcome to UW Law’s “Got a Minute?” series. These are fun, short-answer interviews with 20 rapid-fire questions. We’ll find students throughout William H. Gates Hall as they study, wait for class or hangout with their classmates.
This week’s “Got a Minute?” interview is with LL.M. student Yuerong Cao.
UW Law: Which LL.M. program are you in?
Yuerong Cao: I am in the Intellectual Property Law & Policy LL.M. program.
UW Law: Are you originally from Seattle, and if not, where?
YC: No, I'm originally from China in a small city near Shanghai. Its name is Anqing.
UW Law: What's one interesting fact about where you're from?
YC: There are four great inventions from China. They are gunpowder, paper, printing and the compass. They are all originally from China.
UW Law: Who was the first classmate you met at UW Law?
YC: It was actually my roommate. I met her before classes started, but we knew that we were both enrolled at UW Law when we were looking for houses. So, it was kind of cool to have someone you live with to be in the same law school you are at.
UW Law: Which classroom is your favorite?
YC: I would say 118. It’s small and cozy.
UW Law: Without looking, how many glass structures are in the courtyard?
YC: Four. Before I came here, I checked out the law school on Google Maps and I could see four square patterns in the grass, and I wondered what they were.
UW Law: Where's your favorite part of the law school to hang out?
YC: The library. That's where I'm going after this to do some reading.
UW Law: Which class have you laughed the most in?
YC: I would say Professor Gomulkiewicz’s trademark law class.
UW Law: Where's your favorite spot on campus, excluding William H. Gates Hall?
YC: I’ll say Alaska Airlines Arena. I watched basketball games there with my classmate and I thought it was really interesting.
UW Law: What's your favorite time slot for a class?
YC: 9 a.m. to 10:20. I like morning classes because I need something to push me to start being productive.
UW Law: What was the most recent class you attended?
YC: Drafting IP licenses with Professor Gomulkiewicz, just this morning.
UW Law: And what was a highlight from that class?
YC: It's the first class of the quarter, so it's just like housekeeping and stuff.
UW Law: Are you a Mac or a PC person?
YC: PC. I’ve never used a Mac.
UW Law: How old is UW Law?
YC: 127. No, 125. Final answer 127.
UW Law: Close, 125.
YC: Oh, no. It's in my LinkedIn banner that I use as well. I can't believe I got it wrong.
UW Law: What is one thing that has surprised you about Seattle?
YC: It doesn't rain that much. Before I came here, everyone told me that it's going to rain all the time. Some people say there's only one rain in Seattle, and it rains from September to March. But after I came here, I realized it only rains for about an hour a day. So, it's not that bad.
UW Law: What's one thing you like to do on the weekends for fun?
YC: Hiking. I'm not an outdoor person, but after I went hiking here once, I felt like, yeah, that's something I could pick up on.
UW Law: Are you an umbrella or a raincoat type of person?
YC: Umbrella. I can't betray my Asian blood.
UW Law: What's one thing that's different from the legal system where you're from, compared to the United States?
YC: There are so many differences. One thing I will say is that we stick to the statutes more strictly, instead of using precedents and prior cases. That’s what you have in the civil law system, and ours with Chinese characteristics.
UW Law: If you could work in-house at any corporation or organization, where would it be?
YC: Nintendo. I'm a gamer. I’m a huge fan.
UW Law: Tell us one interesting thing about you that people might not know.
YC: I can play four or more musical instruments. One is the Chinese traditional musical instrument called the guzheng. Another is the guitar — I learned that myself. I can also play the flute, which I learned in high school, and passed the national test for in China. And I'm currently learning the chromatic harmonica as well.