Student Profile Like Father, Like Son BY JACQUELINE J. HARRINGTON Andrew Saperstein When Andrew Saperstein was a little boy, he wanted to do two things when he grew up: become a teacher and, more importantly, be a great man like his father, Ira Saperstein, ’72. In 1997, Andrew’s pursuit of those dreams led him to his father’s alma mater, Michigan State University, and initially to an academic focus in education. However, time has a way of redirecting dreams. Since that time, Andrew’s desire to teach has turned into a passion for the law, and in December 2004, like his father, he will become an MSU-DCL alumnus. “I was originally enrolled in the College of Education until I had a discussion with my father and other members of my family. They made very good points as to why I should go to law school,” said Saperstein. My father thought I would be wasting some of my natural talents by not going into law. It was then that I realized that having a law degree and not having a law degree are two drastically different things. With law you can go into multiple fields. It helps in real estate, the business world, practicing law and teaching law.” “My father thought I would be wasting some of my natural talents by not going into law. It was then that I realized that having a law degree and not having a law degree are two drastically different things.” In 2001, after completing an undergraduate degree in international studies, Saperstein enrolled at MSU-DCL. Fueled with the support of his family and the legacy of his father and of his cousin, Melvyn Saperstein, ’65, Andrew became an active law student full of relentless dedication. “My father had a tremendous impact on my decision to attend law school. Aside from the fact that we share common ground because of law, he is also my best friend,” said Saperstein. “Surprisingly, we have had a lot of the same teachers; I use him as a resource for scheduling classes and gaining a better understanding of the law.” Like his father, a sole practitioner from Southfield, Michigan, Andrew finds a special interest in oral advocacy and, after graduation, plans to gain practice experience. In time, he wants to return to education, his childhood dream. “Coming to law school was one of the best decisions I could have made in my life,” said Saperstein. “After practicing for a few years, I plan to return to school and obtain an LLM degree and, after that, become a law professor.”