Sydney Custer
3L; Admissions Ambassador
Hometown:
Newport Beach, CA
Professional Interests:
Business Law; Litigation; Immigration Law; Family Law
Student Organizations and Extracurricular Activities:
International Law Society, Women in Law Society, If/When/How Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
Housing:
Off Campus
Clinic:
Domestic Violence
Pro Bono Projects:
Permanency Applications (Green Cards) For Victims of Crime, Orange County Public Defender's Office
Meet Sydney:
Hi! I chose to become an Admission Ambassador as a way to give back to the school that has already given me so much! UC Irvine Law has provided countless opportunities for me to grow and explore my interests. I feel as though I landed in the right place, and am grateful for the friends and colleagues that UC Irvine has introduced me to.
When I applied to UC Irvine, I was greatly interested in the experiential learning opportunities. The pro bono and clinic programs cover a wide variety of subject areas, so that all students can explore what they are passionate about. As a pro bono intern for the OC Public Defender's Office, I realized my interest in litigation. This led me to join the Domestic Violence Clinic, where we represent survivors of domestic abuse in court. Both experiences taught me how personal the law is and how impactful lawyers are for their communities. UC Irvine demonstrates and exemplifies the importance of serving our communities both during and after law school. Because of my time at UC Irvine, pro bono work will be an important and consistent part of my career.
Before starting law school, so many people warned me it would be "a tough three years." You may have heard similar advice. I want to offer a second opinion: I love law school and I love UC Irvine. These have been the best three years of my life. It's possible those negative stories about law school won't apply to you. Instead, it may be that law school is where you thrive and where you are meant to be. For me, college was challenging; classes were rigorous and making friends during Covid was difficult. But while I was sitting in Civil Procedure for the first time, something clicked. I looked around and realized the people sitting next to me were going to be my friends (they still are today and the group chat is called ""Civ Pro""). I listened to the professor explain personal jurisdiction and for some reason it just made sense.
So, if you are nervous because the only advice you've heard is that law school is "hard" and a "lot of reading," just know your experience could be totally different, and you might love law school as much as I do.