Student Ambassador Program
Students at the UW School of Law are what make our law school community special. While all of our students lead busy lives inside and outside of the classroom, our Student Ambassadors are willing to answer questions, offer candid advice and share their law school experiences.
Feel free to contact any of our ambassadors to learn more about them and their decision to choosing the University of Washington.
The contributions of our Student Ambassadors have shown that they were helpful in an applicant's decision to join the UW Law community. Their connections with prospective students are a critical aspect of the work we do in the J.D. Admissions Office.
— Ben Gonio, J.D. Counseling Services
New Student Ambassadors
Savannah LaFlamme
Email: savlaf@uw.edu
Originally from Las Vegas, Savannah moved to Seattle for undergraduate studies at Seattle Pacific University, where she studies Political Science – International Affairs, Economics, and Francophone Studies. She comes to law school with a background of six years in the legal field. Choosing UW Law for its opportunities and impact in the area, she hopes to practice in intellectual property and explore advocacy intersections.
Christina Parmelee
Email: parm27@uw.edu
At UW Law, Christina serves on the executive board for the Women’s Law Caucus and the First Generation Law Student Association, and she mentors UW undergrads through FGLS. Before law school, she worked in Undergraduate Admissions at UW. As an in-state student, she chose UW because of the access to opportunity.
Evan Gallo
Email: evgallo@uw.edu
Evan is a nontraditional student who graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2014 with degrees in Computer Science and Political Science. He worked in tech before moving to the fine dining world, where he found a passion for speaking up for people who have been harmed in the workplace.
Emily Park
Email: emilyp42@uw.edu
Emily Park is a first-year law student at the University of Washington School of Law and a proud UW Bothell alum who studied Law, Economics & Public Policy. She enjoys connecting with prospective students, sharing insights about law school, and helping others feel excited about joining UW Law.
Kaliyah Wicks
Email: kwicks14@uw.edu
Kaliyah grew up in Auburn, WA and completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science at Seattle University before earning a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. At UW Law, she participates in the Student Bar Association, Black Law Student Association, First Generation Law Student Association (as director of mentorship), and the Incarcerated Mothers Advocacy Project. She previously worked as an AmeriCorps member with the College Success Foundation, providing education services and resources to low-income students from marginalized groups. She chose UW Law because it allowed her to stay close to home, maintain her support system, and access opportunities aligned with her interests.
Elizabeth Lapham
Email: ebl4@uw.edu
Elizabeth has an MPS in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University and a BA in International Relations from the University of Washington. Before law school, she lived in Washington, DC and worked for the U.S. Senate and House Appropriations Committees. She chose UW Law to build her career in the Seattle legal community.
Jing Shiau
Email: jshiau@uw.edu
Jing is from Taipei, Taiwan and completed a Computer Science degree at Rutgers University. At UW Law, she is involved with the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and the Tech Policy Lab. She spent 20 years in Big Tech, most of them with Microsoft, starting as a software engineer in test before becoming a product manager while earning her MBA at the Foster School of Business. Jing chose UW Law to combine her tech background with legal tools to help engineers and product managers navigate an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.
Isaac Lam
Email: ilam@uw.edu
Isaac grew up in Bellevue, WA and earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Washington. Before law school, he completed a Ph.D. in materials science at the University of Delaware, then worked at a startup in New York and later at a Fortune 100 engineering company in Arizona.
Samantha Swayze
Email: swayzes@uw.edu
Samantha was born and raised in Gig Harbor, Washington. She graduated from Seattle Pacific University in 2021 with a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. After college, she worked as a legal assistant at a large law firm in downtown Seattle. She loves UW Law and considers it an honor to be a student here.
Lucy Toner
Email: ltoner@uw.edu
Lucy is from Bothell, WA and graduated from UW with majors in Environmental Studies and Law, Societies & Justice. She is a 1L Representative for the Environmental Law Society and a member of the First-Generation Law Student Association, Women’s Law Caucus, and Public Interest Law Association. Before law school, she worked for a firm in the UK in personal injury law. She chose UW for the collegial environment, public interest opportunities, and her love of the region.
Meghan Wei
Email: megeg@uw.edu
Meghan is a “triple dawg” and a 2L at UW Law. As a Gregoire Fellow, she split her 1L summer between Vale Group and Stoel Rives, where she will return for her 2L summer to work in their Project Finance group. This year, she is working at the Veterans Law Clinic. She lives in Issaquah with her husband and two children, ages 8 and 6.
Jovina Chi
Email: jchi8@uw.edu
Jovina Chi (she/her) was born and raised in the Seattle area and attended the University of Washington for her undergraduate studies. She worked as a paralegal for two years before attending law school and hopes to pursue a legal career in commercial litigation.
Mason Wrenn
Email: mwrenn@uw.edu
Mason (she/her/hers) is a double dawg passionate about the environment and immigration rights. She is a 1L representative of the Student Bar Association and was a finalist in the school’s in-house mock trial competition this past fall. She considers UW her home and appreciates its supportive and inclusive environment.
Cristina Baeza
Email: cbaez609@uw.edu
Cristina (she/her/hers) is a first-generation law student and college graduate with interests in family law, constitutional law, and public policy. Since moving to Seattle for law school, she has served on the Diversity Committee of Women's Law Caucus and participated in the school's Mock Trial Competition. Before law school, she graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Political Science, worked in property law, and conducted judicial research. She is originally from Los Angeles, CA.
Returning Student Ambassadors
Betty Yu, 3L
Email: bettyyu@uw.edu
- Hometown: Atlanta, GA
- Undergrad Institution: Northwestern University
- Undergrad Major: Psychology and Communication Studies
- Law School Activities: Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, Entertainment Law, Technology Law Society, Washington Law Review
- Professional Experience: After undergrad, I worked for three years as a category manager for Amazon and Chewy in a business development role. During my 1L summer, I was a summer associate at Seed IP in their trademark and litigation practice groups. For my 2L summer, I will be a summer associate for a big law firm.
- Why I chose UW Law: I chose UW Law specifically because I wanted to stay in Seattle and be more involved in its startup, life sciences, and technology industries. I was also drawn to the close-knit legal industry where I could interact with practicing attorneys regularly.
Anna Graff, 2L
Email: amgraff@uw.edu
- Hometown: Eugene & Portland, OR
- Undergrad Institution: Lewis & Clark College
- Undergrad Major: Mathematics
- Law School Activities: Student Bar Association, mentor for first generation University of Washington undergraduates through First Generation Law Student Association
- Professional Experience: Two years of experience as a legal assistant in trusts and estates in Washington
- Why I chose UW Law: Close to family, affordability, desire to practice in Seattle
Sarah Gorrell, 2L
Email: sarahg08@uw.edu
- Hometown: Olympia, WA
- Undergrad Institution: Washington State University
- Undergrad Major: Criminal Justice, Political Science
- Law School Activities: Women’s Law Caucus, Public Interest Law Association
- Professional Experience: Legislative Assistant in Washington State Senate; Policy Fellow at K&L Gates LLP; internship at Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service
- Why I chose UW Law: I have a passion for public service and want to do policy work after graduation. UW Law provides excellent opportunities to dip your toes into public service and learn how you’d like to serve your community.
Ashley De Toledo-Murphy, 2L
Email: ashlem23@uw.edu
- Hometown: Atlanta, GA
- Undergrad Institution: University of Georgia
- Undergrad Major: International Relations
- Law School Activities: Latinx Law Student Association, Technology Law Society, Students for Labor and Employment Justice
- Professional Experience: I previously interned for a Georgia State Representative for District 57 and worked as a legal assistant at a creditors' firm.
- Why I chose UW Law: I love living in Seattle and wanted to live on the west coast. I was impressed with the bar passage rate at UW Law and also with all of the opportunities offered to students.
Chaewon Park, 2L
Email: chaewonp@uw.edu
- Hometown: Chuncheon, South Korea
- Undergrad Institution: University of California, Berkeley
- Undergrad Major: Economics, with a minor in Chinese Language and Culture
- Law School Activities: Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, First Generation Law Student Association
- Professional Experience: After undergraduate, I worked mostly as a business development manager, doing M&A and Joint Venture deals in petroleum trading and EV battery manufacturing firm in Korea.
- Why I chose UW Law: My brother went to UW as an undergrad and he advocated how amazing UW and Seattle area are. UW truly emphasizes the value of diversity, equity and inclusion, with the diverse faculty and inclusive culture. And being in Seattle, UW Law has great standing in the community, especially in the tech transactions.
Sarah Downing, 2L
Email: downings@uw.edu
- Hometown: San Francisco, CA
- Undergrad Institution: California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
- Undergrad Major: Civil Engineering
- Law School Activities: Public Interest Law Association board member, Mock Trial semi-finalist
- Professional Experience: I worked as a civil engineering design consultant for four years before coming to law school.
- Why I chose UW Law: I chose UW Law because of its incredible collegial atmosphere and supportive environment. I also was very excited at the opportunity to study law in Seattle. The professors and opportunities the school offered to law students seemed so vast and I was excited to come to a school where I felt like I had endless possibilities.
Autumn Hersey, 2L
Email: aherse@uw.edu
- Hometown: Lompoc, CA
- Undergrad Institution: California State University - Channel Islands
- Undergrad Major: Early Childhood Studies
- Graduate Institution: University of California, Berkeley
- Graduate Degree: Paralegal Certificate
- Law School Activities: OUTlaws 1L rep, SAIL officer, roller derby announcer, Seattle Homeless Outreach
- Professional Experience: Preschool teacher, Research Coordinator, small business insurance
- Why I chose UW Law: I moved to Seattle for work and wanted to stay for law school because of community, friends, and love for this little city.
Torben Deese, 2L
Email: tdeese@uw.edu
- Hometown: Sumner, WA
- Undergrad Institution: Claremont McKenna College
- Undergrad Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
- Graduate Institution: Arizona State University
- Graduate Degree: Masters in Education
- Law School Activities: Public Interest Law Association board, Mock Trial competition, Negotiation competition, ACS board
- Professional Experience: High school teacher
- Why I chose UW Law: Fantastic opportunities to do public service in Washington. I lived outside of Washington for six years and I wanted to come back to Washington.
Sandra Hendricksen, 2L
Email: kchendri@uw.edu
- Hometown: Olympia, WA
- Undergrad Institution: Arizona State University
- Undergrad Major: Political Science and Justice Studies
- Law School Activities: First Generation Law Student Association, Law and Business Association
- Professional Experience: Legal Services volunteer, worked at Washington Attorney General’s Office, 1L summer will be at Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office
- Why I chose UW Law: Washington is my home and I wanted to be somewhere I knew I would be starting my career.
Hannah Renee O’Brien, 2L
Email: hrobrien@uw.edu
- Hometown: Carlsbad, CA
- Undergrad Institution: University of California, Riverside
- Undergrad Major: Political Science: Law and Society
- Law School Activities: Moot Court Honor Board, Alliance for Disability Law and Justice
- Professional Experience: Legal Writing Assistant, WR Immigration; Congressional intern, District Office of Congressman Mark Takano; Investigative intern, Federal Public Defender’s Office; Technical Writer, Immigration Law Offices of Hadley Bajramovic
- Why I chose UW Law: UW Law was my dream school. I want to pursue tech law and was drawn to the school for the UW Tech Policy Lab and the Technology Law and Public Policy Clinic.