Shania Uppal ’25 Secures Full Scholarship to Law School
Major: Law & Society
Minor: Economics and Interdisciplinary Studies
Programs/Clubs: John Jay Model United Nations, CUNY BMI John Jay Rising Scholars of Justice Program Fellow; Debate Club
Mentor: LaDawn Haglund, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Climate Justice; Jodie Roure, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Founding Director of CUNY BMI Rising Scholars of Justice Program
Fellowships/Internships: Judicial Intern with the Honorable Francois A. Rivera, Kings County Supreme Court; Judicial Intern with the Honorable Bianka Perez, Bronx Supreme Court; Intern at Make the Road New York; Assistant to the Director of Climate Initiatives, CUNY Research Foundation
Hometown: Mumbai, India; New York City
Career Aspiration: Attorney
Post-graduate Plan: New York Law School
What was life like growing up before John Jay College?
I grew up in Mumbai, India. I was that girl in two pigtails and a uniform, riding the bus to Catholic school every day. That was my routine until I was 15 years old. My dad is Hindu and my mom is Christian, so there were a lot of conflicts between their families, but my parents tried to keep that hidden from me as much as they could. My dad and I immigrated to the United States in 2019. He felt like there were more opportunities that I could get here as a woman than I could get in India. First, we moved to New Jersey, where I went to high school, then in 2020 when the pandemic hit, we moved to New York City and I finished high school in Queens.
My dad speaks some English, but it wasn’t always the right type of English. This made it challenging when we had to fill out USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) paperwork. At first, he found it difficult securing a job and earning enough money to put a roof over our heads. We were living paycheck to paycheck. At one point my dad and I shared a tiny room together in a rental apartment. There were other families in the space, including a man with mental illness. Often, I’d hide in our room to avoid this man, but one time I had to intervene because he got physical with his mother. It wasn’t a safe space to live, but it was all we could afford. My dad did everything he could to make sure I was fed. It was a struggle, sometimes we had to stand in line outside of churches to get food. I’m incredibly grateful for everything my dad did, and continues to do, for my benefit.
What sparked your passion for the law?
Growing up in India, during a time when there were a lot of marches protesting injustices against women, I started to want to understand the law. In 2012, there was a brutal rape case that led to a woman’s death. That’s the moment when I decided I wanted to do something about social justice issues. I wanted to be a catalyst for social change. That’s when I made up my mind to become an attorney and impact policy making.
Another reason why becoming a lawyer was important to me was my experience with immigration attorneys. My dad and I needed legal advice. We needed a lawyer to help us with our paperwork and we were being charged thousands of dollars for filling out basic forms. I’m sure there are some great immigration attorneys out there, but the ones we interacted with were very exploitative. That forced me, a teenager, to take the reins and help my family out. I’d go on the USCIS website and comb through all the documents that needed to be submitted. If you left one box unchecked or if there was even a dash missing, the forms would come back to you. It took us almost two years to get our application accepted. Afterwards, we received legal status. The law is so important, especially for vulnerable communities. Without understanding the legal language, the law can feel very scary. I know that the law is crucial for safeguarding the rights of immigrants, small businesses, and the working class. My interest in the law is based on a desire to help protect the rights of vulnerable populations.
How did you learn about the Rising Scholars for Justice Program?
When I joined Model UN, Reem Hamaida ’23 was one of the group’s Vice Presidents. I followed her on Instagram and read her “Senior Spotlight” article that said she was awarded a full-ride scholarship to Georgetown Law. My first thought was: How did she do that? Then I decided to use her story as a guide. She was a Rising Scholars for Justice Fellow, so I immediately looked into the program. When I was a junior, after receiving an RSJ email, I jumped at the opportunity to apply to the program and was accepted.
What was your experience like as a John Jay Rising Scholar of Justice Fellow?
It’s been transformative, from the people I’ve met to the experiences I’ve gained, RSJ has been pivotal to my dreams of becoming a lawyer. My internships with the Kings County Supreme Court and the Bronx Supreme Court were all thanks to RSJ. The program also helped me get an internship with Make the Road New York, which is a nonprofit organization that assists immigrants. In that role I helped immigrants fill out the same paperwork that my dad and I struggled with—which felt like a wonderful full-circle moment where I could help someone with the skills I gained.
When I applied to John Jay, I felt alone in the process. Because of RSJ, applying to law school felt completely different. I was supported throughout the whole law school application process—especially working on my personal statement and preparing for the LSAT. I believe that the LSATs are one of the systemic barriers for people of color and low-income students getting into law school. LSAT prep classes are expensive. So, having a pipeline program, like RSJ, that prepares you for the test is key.
Dr. Roure was the person who told me not to shy away from telling my story in my personal statement. She told me that what made me unique was a strength, not a weakness. When I worried that law schools wouldn’t want me because I was an immigrant, she told me that the opposite was true. Dr. Roure said that they would want me, an immigrant, because that’s a voice that’s missing in the law. She helped me polish my personal statement into a story that I was proud to share.
How did your judicial internships support your legal aspirations?
Justice Francois Rivera is the most amazing person I’ve ever met. I don’t have any family members who do anything related to the law, so often I’d experience imposter syndrome in legal settings. Going into the Kings County internship I didn’t know how I’d fit into the environment, but Justice Rivera made a point of making me feel comfortable and supported. He would often tell me that I was going to do great in the legal field. It felt like I had my own personal cheerleader rooting for me to succeed as a lawyer. I gained confidence with Justice Rivera because he had us doing hands-on work, reviewing cases from the 1600s and 1800s. His feeling was, if we could essentially translate legal terms from English that isn’t used today, we’d have the foundational skills to analyze cases. We’d go through each case sentence by sentence, looking up words, and writing down definitions. Then he’d have us explain everything back to him. Now, I know how to break down a case and truly understand it because a judge took the time to sit down with me and explain it from a judicial perspective.
My internship with Justice Bianka Perez was inspiring because in India there were barely any female lawyers, much less judges. What’s also encouraging is watching her try to change a lot of the policies within the judiciary. She’s a fighter and I love that. During my internship with her I’ve had the opportunity to do legal research, observe trials, and draft discovery motions. I could easily see that my legal writing improved with my internship experience at the Bronx Supreme Court.
What are your plans after graduation?
I applied to 16 law schools and I got into seven of them. I got into CUNY Law, New York Law, University of Buffalo School of Law, Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Conner College of Law, Florida State University College of Law, Brooklyn Law School, and Saint John’s School of Law. Growing up with financial insecurity made the idea of going into debt for graduate school sound horrible. I didn’t want to go into debt, but I was willing to invest in myself and my future. That’s why I was thrilled when New York Law offered me a full-ride scholarship and a thousand dollars to buy books. I actually dropped to my knees and cried when I read the email. My dad was sitting in the living room and asked me what happened. He could hardly believe what I told him.
Now, I’m looking forward to graduation because I haven’t been able to go back to India and I haven’t seen my mom in two years. She’s going to be coming, along with my grandma and uncle. I left a lot behind in India, but accomplishing my goal of getting into law school makes it all feel worth it.
