Xiao Yan Huang chose MSU Law after she spoke to several MSU Law alumni. “Also, MSU Law's mission of helping students gain practical skills in various concentrations were in line with my goals of getting a graduate degree,” she said. “MSU Law's greatest strength as a legal institution is its ability to attract the best professors—people dedicated to helping every student that steps into their classroom, and people who are also experts in specific fields of law and have years of practice in a particular field.”

Xiao said that although law school is often a competitive and stressful environment, her experiences at MSU have been very positive. “I have made valuable networks here and gained experiences that I know will make me a better practicing attorney,” she said.  

Xiao has a long list of people she thanks for her positive experience at MSU. “Student Engagement was a constant source of support--especially in my first year. They always made sure that the students maintained a healthy lifestyle and general well-being,” she said.

She also credits the law librarians as instrumental in her research. “Every time I had a question about a particular topic in international law, any of the librarians would gladly spend hours with me helping me find what I needed.”

For career advice, Xiao turned to Diversity Services and Career Services. “Mary Ferguson is one of the most passionate individuals amongst the staff here,” Xiao said. “She sat down with me to have a long discussion about changing careers as a practicing attorney to a higher education administrator after I told her of my interest to get back to the higher education field. In addition, Naomi is my career services adviser and is vigilant in keeping all her students up to date on upcoming deadlines for jobs and has helped me often in finding career resources outside of the law school. She also makes sure to get updated on my individual progress every time she sees me.”

And for internships, Xiao found help in Professor David Thronson. “He met with me to go over my resume, to recommend potential employers, and helped me reach out to those employers in the specific field I wanted to work in,” she said.