"Got a Minute?" with Arianna Velasco, 2L

Welcome to the second season of UW Law’s “Got a Minute?” series. Like last year, we’ll find students throughout William H. Gates Hall and ask them 20 questions about their law school experience, a bit about themselves and occasionally drop in a pop quiz or two.

This week, we’re featuring Arianna Velasco, a second-year J.D. student.

UW Law: Are you originally from Seattle, and if not, where?

Arianna Velasco (AV): No, I'm from the Bay Area, specifically Brentwood.

UW Law: What's one interesting fact about where you're from?

AV: We’re well known for our corn. In fact, back in the day we would have CornFest. The community would get together around the Fourth of July and they would have fireworks. It was a pretty fun time during the summer.

UW Law: Where did you earn your undergraduate degree?

AV: I went to UC Berkeley.

UW Law: Why did you decide to go to law school?

AV: I realized that law is, kind of, the language of our world, and I love learning about languages and seeing the impact that it’s made. While I was working, I knew that the next step was definitely law school. It was just determining what type of law I wanted to go in to.

UW Law: What's one thing you wish you had known before your first day of law school?

AV: Perhaps knowing how to balance taking care of yourself and taking care of all your responsibilities. I think that's something I got better at.

UW Law: What's your go-to karaoke song?

AV: Redbone by Childish Gambino.

UW Law: Who was the first person you told you were admitted to UW Law, and what was their reaction?

AV: I think it was my mom. I was working from home, and I received an email, and I was so excited. My mom was upstairs, and I immediately rushed up to tell her.

UW Law: If you were to take a day trip outside of Seattle, where would you go?

AV: I've been wanting to go to Forks, Washington, or just in general, the Olympic Peninsula. So, I'd probably go there.

UW Law: In 30 seconds, list as many UW Law professors as you can. Go!

AV: Ziff, Nguyen, Calandrillo, Mills, Porter, Knudsen, Garavito, Chin, Schumacher, Ortiz, Krieger, Calo, Ambrose.

UW Law: 13! What's the most unusual job you've had before UW Law?

AV: I was a ceramics teacher. I worked in the Sierras in the summer of 2021 and got to teach campers different forms of art, including ceramics.

UW Law: Which Latin term sounds the most dramatic?

AV: Stare decisis. It’s the idea of emphasizing precedent.

UW Law: What’s your preferred study spot?

AV: So, that's actually one of the major questions I have to answer every quarter because I need a change. As a 1L, I was at the library, but I can't do it anymore. For 2L fall, it was the rooms in the clinic; last quarter and this quarter it's been the rock climbing gym.

UW Law: What year did the first Law & Order episode air?

AV: I saw my first episode just last week. I'm going to go with 1998.

UW Law: 1990. Is there a particular clinic, journal or student organization that was a memorable experience for you?

AV: Tax Clinic, for sure. We have our little tax cave, and a lot of my friends are there, and you get to work with clients. The professors are super great. In fact, I'm going to do it again next year.

UW Law: What's your dream vacation?

AV: Probably backpacking in Nepal.

UW Law: What's your favorite memory from law school so far?

AV: Probably the Alaska tax program. There was something so beautiful about waking up every day in the middle of the tundra and getting ready to help the community. There's just a calmness to it. And I learned a lot from that experience, which has helped me in the Tax Clinic. It’s a lovely program that I think everyone should partake in if they can.

UW Law: What would you be doing if you weren't in law school?

AV: When I was looking into possibilities outside of law school, I was looking into doing an apprenticeship under a ceramics instructor. I've seen some schools in Europe — they have a big scene over there — so that was something that I briefly thought about.

UW Law: Name one lawyer who inspires you and why.

AV: Robert Bilott. If you've seen the movie “Dark Waters” he basically exposed the whole Teflon situation with DuPont. He still works in corporate law, but he was able to unearth everything and assist the community and really bring it all out to light. So, he’s somebody who used their expertise for good.

UW Law: Is there anyone you'd like to give a shout out to?

AV: My mom. She's definitely somebody who motivates me every day, and who I know is always there for me. She’s one of the reasons why I keep putting one foot ahead of the other, and I'm so excited to see her this weekend.

UW Law: What's one interesting thing about you that people may not know?

AV: When I was little, I would go to the library and spend hours there reading different books. But specifically, I'd go to the language section and try to teach myself languages — I was getting a little bit of Swedish and Portuguese. But then I learned French in school, and also took Chinese and Italian.