Student Ambassador Council
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 SAC Members 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.
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, 3L
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.