Welcome to a Promising Incoming Class

Some had previously worked in the legal field, like Shivani Parshad ’26, who spent three years as a paralegal for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. A native of Baltimore, she earned degrees in political science and international relations from Boston University before arriving in New York City. Parshad expressed excitement about starting her law school journey, especially after hearing positive remarks from numerous alumni.

“Several attorneys I worked with attended Brooklyn Law School, and they all spoke highly of their experience,” Parshad said. “Learning from these alums solidified my decision. They emphasized the opportunities for public interest work here, which made it seem like the perfect fit for me.”

Another entering student was Willis Huynh ’26, a native New Yorker who discovered a strong connection between his military service and the legal field while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. During his time at West Point, Huynh played Division I golf, honed his leadership skills, and developed a desire to represent those in need.

Another new student, William Von Toussaint ’26, grew up on Long Island, and returned to the region after earning degrees in mathematics and economics from the University of California, San Diego. Law was not initially on his radar, but music was. Von Toussaint plays multiple instruments, and has been composing songs and producing music for years. Now, he’s eager to begin law school and hopes to combine his skills as an analytical thinker and a creative individual to advocate for artists.

“I eventually found entertainment law as the connection between the logical thinking I was using as an analyst and the passion I have for music,” said Von Toussaint. “I’m excited to get to Brooklyn Law School and learn about the music industry from a legal perspective.”

Joanna Algera ’26, a competitive figure skater as a child in the Midwest, continued competing nationally and internationally while attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, before deciding to pursue law.

When the pandemic disrupted her figure skating pursuits, Algera redirected her attention toward the legal realm, founding a thriving Women in Law club at Miami University for aspiring attorneys.

Eve Zelickson ’26, a newly appointed Edward V. Sparer Public Interest Law Fellow from Minneapolis, graduated from Brown University in 2019 with a degree in science, technology, and society. Before starting law school, she worked as a researcher at Data & Society studying issues at the intersection of technology, labor, health, and privacy.

“I was very invested in the research I was conducting at Data & Society,” said Zelickson. “But depending on the type of project, research can feel like it is happening in a vacuum. I am hopeful that law school will provide me with the skill sets to do more direct impact work.”

—Julia Rafferty