Georgetown University Law Center
Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
Executive Board
2021-22
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Claris Park
PRESIDENT
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Undergrad: University of Pennsylvania
About: Claris is a 2L at Georgetown Law. After she graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017, they worked as a theatre maker and an administrator at Spiral Q, an arts and cultural organizing non-profit based in West Philadelphia. She was a member of the Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists collective and was nominated for multiple Barrymore Awards for acting in 2019. They often worked on contemporary plays that explored social and political issues, which naturally led to their interest in studying law. They are interested in antitrust law, communications law, and international criminal and human rights law. She also serves as the Outreach Coordinator of Georgetown's Antitrust Law Association and is currently an intern at the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law.
Vivian Meng
EXTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
Hometown: Beijing, China
Undergrad: Wellesley College (Major in Political Science and Spanish)
About: Vivian was born in Beijing, China, and came to the U.S. when she was 13. She attended Wellesley College for a BA in Political Science and Spanish. At Wellesley, she was the president of the International Relations Council, a soprano in the Wellesley College Choir, and a frequent customer of various Thai restaurants in town. She also spent a semester in an international affairs institution in Geneva, Switzerland. Vivian interned at the D.C. Superior Court during her 1L summer. She is a staff editor of the Georgetown Journal of International Law (GJIL). She is very interested in exploring multi-jurisdictional law practice and will be joining Linklaters LLP in their New York Office as a summer associate.
Becca DiPietro
INTERNAL VICE PRESIDENT
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Undergrad: Georgetown University Class of 2019 (Major in Government and Chinese)
About: Becca was adopted from Zhanjiang, China and grew up in Baltimore, MD. She moved to DC to attend undergrad at Georgetown, where she studied Government and Chinese and was involved with AASA and the College Democrats. Before law school, she worked at the National Governors Association serving governors in their economic missions by planning and implementing trade missions and conferences both in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to serving on APALSA’s e-board, Becca is in the Global Law Scholars program and a Legal Practice Law Fellow. She likes exploring restaurants, going to the gym, and swing dancing in her free time. She's been to China and Greece twice each and would love to travel to other countries!
Steven Xie
SECRETARY
Hometown: Edison, New Jersey
Undergrad: Georgetown University, Class of 2018 (BA in Government and Economics)
About: Steven is a 2L at Georgetown Law. He attended Georgetown University, where he was the co-president of AASA and a member of the first Making An Exoneree class. After graduating in 2018, he interned for the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender and worked at Hollingsworth LLP for two years as a junior paralegal before attending law school. Steven is also the treasurer of the Georgetown Defenders and is currently an extern at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. In his free time he enjoys trying new recipes, traveling, and hiking.
Seana Buzbee
TREASURER
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Undergrad: Carleton College, Class of 2015 (Majors in Economics and Studio Art)
About: Seana was born in NYC, but raised primarily in Atlanta, GA before she headed to college in Minnesota. After graduating, she took a job in Denver, CO at an economic consulting firm. They operated at the intersection of law and economics, supporting expert witnesses in various lawsuits. She was at that firm for about 5 years before coming to law school. Seana is still figuring out what area of law she wants to pursue moving forward, but is currently getting exposure to court proceedings, trials, the criminal justice system, and more legal research and writing as a Law Clerk at the Alexandria Public Defender's Office. In her free time, she loves to play with her dog, get outside, go to concerts, and make art.
Luis Chu
ACADEMIC CHAIR
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Undergrad: University of Toronto (Major in Pharmacy)
About: Luis grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and studied pharmacy at the University of Toronto for his undergraduate degree. He practiced as a pharmacist in Canada for several years before deciding to transition his career into law. For his 1L summer work experience, Luis was a 1L Scholar at Skadden Arps in Washington, D.C. He enjoys reading, indoor rock climbing, and meeting new people. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for a friendly chat about anything at all.
April Rose Knight
PROFESSIONAL CHAIR
(PRIVATE SECTOR)
Hometown: TBA
Undergrad: TBA
About: April, a 3L at Georgetown University Law Center, is a former journalist based in the U.S. Virgin Islands. While at Georgetown, she was a judicial intern for U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras, as well as the 2021 Diversity Summer Associate and 2022 Summer Associate at Van Ness Feldman LLP’s Washington D.C. Office. April is an Online Development Editor and Featured Online Contributor for the American Criminal Law Review (ACLR). She recently published “Under Attack: How Enhanced Anti-Protest Laws Impede and Endanger the Free Press” for ACLR Online.
Richard Wang
PROFESSIONAL CHAIR
(PUBLIC SECTOR)
Hometown: Hangzhou, China
Undergrad: Emory University ’19 (Major in Political Science & Economics/Mathematics)
About: Richard was born and raised in Hangzhou, China. The first time he came to the U.S. was for college. After graduating from colleges, he worked as a macroeconomic researcher for a think tank. In his 1L summer, Richard worked for Tzedek DC dealing with cases and policy issues related to finance. His academic interests cover business law and administrative law. He is interested in exploring law and policy-making issues. Outside of law school, he is interested in playing chess, tennis, and any kind of board games.
Grace Beck
TRAILBLAZERS CHAIR
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Undergrad: Columbia University (B.A., Political Science)
About: Prior to matriculating at GULC, Grace worked as a program coordinator at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. She also has extensive experience in the Los Angeles hospitality industry, as a restaurant manager and event planner. This past summer, Grace interned at the Constitutional Research Institute of the Constitutional Court of Korea. In addition to APALSA, she is a Global Law Scholar. She enjoys baking elaborate pastries, playing video games, weightlifting, knitting dog sweaters, and cats.
Jinny Moon
SOCIAL CO-CHAIR
Hometown: San Jose, California
Undergrad: TBA
About: Jinny is a rising 2L and incoming Social Co-Chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. She lived her youth in San Jose, California and moved to Korea to finish her education. Her dual background inspired her to obtain a bachelor's and master's degree in International Studies. As a passion, she's been engaged in the Korean Intervarsity Debate Association, hosting, adjudicating, and debating in national and East Asian debate competitions throughout college. Jinny's practice interest currently lies in litigation (specifically international arbitration and white collar defense), but she is genuinely interested in trying out transactional work as a summer associate next year. She joined APALSA to pass down the same warm welcomes she's received when she came in as a 1L, and she is equally excited to meet more APALSA upperclassmen and graduates through the events she and Annie will be hosting in Fall 2021 and beyond.
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Annie Dang
SOCIAL CO-CHAIR
Hometown: Everett, Washington
Undergrad: Harvard University (Major in Social Studies)
About: Annie is a 2L at Georgetown Law. After graduating from Harvard with an honors degree in Social Studies, she was a paralegal in the Major Economic Crimes Bureau at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and a researcher at Harvard Business School. She has broad interests in white collar prosecution, anti-money laundering regulation, and fintech. The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Annie is passionate about serving the legal needs in her community--in her free time, she works pro bono at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center in DC, focusing on domestic violence and naturalization cases. On campus, Annie is an APALSA Social Co-Chair, a Law Fellow, and a member of Georgetown Trial Advocacy. She is the inaugural recipient of the APABA-DC First-Generation Law Student Scholarship.