Mehrya Nawabi

Mehrya Nawabi
Class of 2024
Louisville, KY

What do you love most about your family and/or friends?

I have a big family and what I love most about my family is our ability to support one another and be there for each other through the good and bad times. They are very supportive and loving and have helped me these last three years while I have been in school, and I could not do it without them. They are my biggest motivators and role models in my life because they all work so hard and have achieved so much. They really have been my strength and I love them all very much. My friends have been likewise supportive and been there for me through my journey so far. They absolutely understand my priorities have shifted and I might not see them or talk to them as often as I would like but they still are there for me. 

What undergraduate and graduate degrees do you have? 

Graduated from University of Louisville with a major in Justice Administration and minor in Political Science

Why law school and why Brandeis?

Law school has been a dream of mine since I was 9. I have always wanted to be able to help people that could not help themselves. I believe I decided Brandeis was the school I wanted to attend when I spent a few summers attending the LBA’s Summer Law Institute in high school. I sat in the same classrooms I did then and have class in the same courtroom I did a mock trial in when I was 15 yrs old. Brandies is special to me in many ways but it will be the first place that really introduced me to law and its great being able to still learn here today. 

How have you changed since your 1L year?

I believe I have changed since 1L year in that I now have a different perspective on things especially when it comes to the law as a profession and as an area of study. I think I have become much more inquisitive and wanted to analyze things from different angles and perspectives. It has helped me look at many angles in problem solving that translate in helping me with work regularly. Though one thing that never goes away even as a 3L is being nervous when on call. 

What are you most proud of and why?

I think one of the things I am most proud of is being able to have this opportunity to pursue law and get to this point today. My family fled Afghanistan in 1979 due to war and being a first generation Afghan American I had faced many of life’s struggles and with that the constant struggle of finding my place in this big world. And being the first in my family immediate and extended to go to law school is something I could not have imagined would happen. I have overcome challenges and misconceptions by achieving what others thought I could not. I am proud that I can hopefully be a positive example to young girls in my community that want to pursue law school in the hopes of being an attorney that they can do it. I am proud that I did not give up on this dream even when life could have easily made me give up.

How do you define Inclusive? How do you define Excellence?

Inclusive to me means being included and being made a part of something and it should never leave a person, part, or group out. It means that no person should be excluded because of race, gender, disability, or other need and each person should be given equal access and opportunity.

Excellence is something that I do not define as meaning the best over others. It means striving to be the best you can be while leaving plenty of room for others to join you. Excellence should be defined as something you should work hard towards but not at the cost of putting down others. It means to me being the best human being, you can be.

What is your professional goal for five years from now?

My goal for the next five years is to first graduate and pass the bar. Next would be to find employment with focuses on healthcare law. 

What is your favorite quote?

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." - Judy Garland