On May 22, 2021, FirstGen5 hosted our very first event with the Hispanic National Bar Association, Kozyak Minority Mentoring Foundation, and Boies Schiller Flexner, entitled "Going First: Unwritten Rules for First-Generation Law Students." Law students from fifty schools around the country joined us on Zoom from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to connect and grow. Danielle moderated an “Excel This Summer” panel discussion with esteemed first-generation legal professionals and David facilitated an afternoon conversation entitled “Build Your Brand” with an equally impressive lineup of first-generation lawyers.
Rather than tell you what we loved about the event, we thought this was the perfect opportunity to introduce you to a member of our #FirstGen5 community. Below, find Joanna Wenjie Zhang’s five brilliant takeaways from “Going First.”
Have a takeaway or two to add? Please comment here or on our social media platforms. We want to hear from you!
Here’s to going first,
Danielle and David
Hello from 104-degree, sunny California, FirstGen5 community! My name is Joanna Wenjie Zhang, a rising 2L at UC Davis Law School. I am a first-gen high school, college, masters, and law student.
I attended The George Washington University for undergrad with plans to become a public health professional, so I pursued a Master’s in Health Administration at Columbia University. During my time at Columbia, I was exposed to the fascinating field of health law. After graduating from Columbia in 2019, I worked in healthcare compliance at a major non-profit health system in New York City before finally making the East to West Coast move to attend the UC Davis Law School (King Hall) amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.
As a 2L, I hope to be active on the boards of First-Generation Advocates and Health Law Association at King Hall. In terms of career aspirations, I hope to become a transactional lawyer with a focus on IP and health technology transactions, especially in digital health and medical technology.
My story is anything but conventional. I was born in a small industrial town outside of a major city in China. Education became a luxury when dad and mom were challenged to put food on the table. After my parents separated, the cost of my education fell completely on my mom’s shoulders. She managed to climb up the corporate ladder and save enough to send me to college here in the United States. I remember how lost and confused I was navigating the higher education system in this new country. The grading system was different, and at times I was embarrassed when I listened to my friends and colleagues talk about their parents’ education. I had no one to seek help from and I struggled alone.
The first time I heard the term “first-gen” was at law school orientation. King Hall has a faculty and student-led organization that offers mentorship and support for first-generation students of the law. I was thrilled to learn that I was not the only first-gen student. On campus, I have a whole community of students just like me, and I am no longer struggling alone.
In fact, I have a community beyond the walls of King Hall. On May 22, 2021, I attended the Going First: Unwritten Rules for Law Students, organized by FirstGen5. It was the first time that I was introduced to a larger first-gen community from around the country.
Today, I share with you five valuable takeaways from the conference. If you are first-gen law school student like me seeking some guidance to navigate this complicated legal education, I hope you find these takeaways to be helpful!
1. Imposter syndrome is real: embrace it.
I constantly feel like an imposter in law school. My classmates always appear to be confident and eloquent in class. And then there is me, the one who gets sweaty, nervous, and even stutters when asking a question. I feel incredibly behind all the time and I often feel as if I am the only person who doesn’t understand. My anxiety got so bad that I started having panic attacks, the self-doubt became overwhelming, and I was questioning if law school was even for me. Fortunately, some of this self-doubt was assuaged when exam season came around and I did just fine.
At a certain point during my first semester, I realized I was suffering from imposter syndrome–and it was limiting my success both academically and professionally. I was surprised to hear that the Honorable Christine Arguello had imposter syndrome during her time at Harvard Law. Judge Arguello encouraged us to recognize imposter syndrome and to harness it advantageously by developing positive responses to our negative thoughts and by embracing mistakes as learning opportunities.
Judge Arguello’s comments were reassuring and her tips were incredibly helpful. It is important to acknowledge your past work and commitment, accept compliments, and recognize that you deserve everything you’ve achieved.
2. Define your brand.
One of the most valuable tips from the conference was to "know your brand." Your brand is what your classmates, professors, and people you’ve worked with think when they hear your name. Even though I have always known about “brand,” I never knew how to build one for myself. Is Joanna the go-to person for research, or is Joanna the careless intern who messed up an important task?
I thought Tunde Cadmus, Director of Corporate Counsel at Regeneron, shared an enlightening story about building his personal brand. After realizing that his law school grades were not his strong suit, he leaned into exploring his interests and strengths in litigation. He became actively involved in the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) as a board member and he competed with Washington and Lee’s BLSA mock trial team. Not excelling at the conventional success measures in law school is by no means an indication of what we can accomplish in our legal careers. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the measures of conventional law school success, listen to your inner self, reflect on your past experiences, and build a brand based on your strengths and aspirations. What do you want to do with this law degree? What interests you? What are your strengths?
Personally, my passion is in public health, and anything healthcare-related. I plan to dedicate more time to explore health law and hopefully become that intern or attorney who is the go-to person for projects related to health law.
3. Work to stand out and know you'll screw up!
Prior to starting my current internship, I was terrified that I would screw up. Now that I am entering the second week of my internship, I can attest to the fact that I definitely did screw up.
But one anecdote came to mind after my first blunder—Mark Mao’s personal story about how he overcame his “failure” and became the highly sought-after expert he is today at Boies Schiller Flexner (BSF). Long story short, Mark also struggled with imposter syndrome during his time at Berkeley Law. He internalized his struggles as a first-gen law student and responded by pretending he didn’t care. He often overslept and showed up to class appearing stress-free. Further, Mark failed the California Bar the first time. However, in the face of adversity, he triumphed. Today, Mark is now Partner–Practice Lead at BSF.
The moral of the story: it is okay to “fail.” It’s probably fair to say that most of us first-gen law students aren’t accustomed to failing, but it is helpful for us to think about failing differently. Failing is a good thing because it shows how much more we can learn and achieve. It is absolutely okay to make mistakes. In fact, now is the time to make the mistakes. We are learning and this is part of the process.
4. Push your boundaries and run out of that comfort zone.
Lisa Trueba Roberts, Chief Attorney at U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, mentioned that one of the best interns she mentored was one who constantly asked for more work and constructive feedback. During my first week at my internship, Lisa’s words were a friendly alarm clock ringing in the back of my head, so I took the initiative to ask for more work from multiple people. Before I knew it, I had plenty to do and was challenged to embrace a steep learning curve during my second week.
Two lessons here. One, Lisa is absolutely right, do take the initiative to ask for more work. Seek opportunities to work with people you are interested in learning from. Two, quality always triumphs quantity. Making sure you deliver a quality work product that speaks to your brand and your work ethic.
However, there’s no set standard for what “quality work” entails. As new professionals, it’s inevitable that we will make mistakes. What matters most is that we are pushing our own boundaries by tackling new challenges, stepping outside of our comfort zones by asking questions and seeking feedback, and using that feedback to improve.
5. Reach out to mentees and enjoy the ride!
What impressed me the most is how many accomplished judges and attorneys were present at this conference and taking time out of their weekends to help first-gen students succeed. It occurred to me that I’ve never thought about mentoring other first-gen students because I’ve always assumed that one has to be “successful” to mentor other students. After the conference, I have started thinking differently about mentorship. I now believe mentorship can be a two-way street, and that the mentor and mentee can both learn from each other and help each other succeed.
If you’re reading this, you’re prepared to be a mentor. You have knowledge and experience that a future first-gen or even a colleague a year behind you can benefit from. Share your good and bad stories so younger first-gen students know that even though learning and practicing law is difficult, hard work and perseverance pay off.
Finally, I want to acknowledge that the legal profession is by nature high-stress. Remember to take it easy sometimes, take care of your mental and physical health, know what works and doesn’t work for you. As evident in all our guest speakers’ successful careers, finding fulfillment and passion in what you do is the only way to have a sustainable career.
To learn more about Joanna, visit us on Instagram and Twitter at @FirstGen_5.
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