International Food Fair

LL.M. students share tastes from home

—By Jason Finkelstein and Lori Craig

The scent of Korean Bulgogi (barbecued beef) and German Leberkase (veal loaf) lured about 300 students, staff and faculty to Crocker Plaza Oct. 14 for the third annual International Food Fair.

Hosted by the Graduate and International Programs students, the fair featured dishes from some of the students’ 23 home countries, including Nigeria, Mexico and Thailand. Some of the international students donned traditional dress or were joined by their spouses and children.

Among the dishes served up were Polish pierogi (dumplings); Indian chicken tikka, kebab and biryani (rice pilaf); Mexican enmoladas, nopal (cactus) salad; Jamaican jerk chicken drummets and cocktail beef patties; German pretzels and sausages; Nigerian stew and bean cakes; Taiwanese dried bean curd, stewed beef and rice noodles; Thai and Singaporean pad Thai and chicken satay; and Korean jabchae, jeon and kimchi.

Helping organize the event were the USC Law Events Office and the G&IP Social Chairs and Student Bar Association Representatives.

Three Social Chairs, along with two SBA Reps, were recently elected by their LL.M. peers to foster close interaction between LL.M. students and their J.D. peers through events like the fair, and to provide opportunities for LL.M. students to get involved in USC Law activities.

“I decided to become the social chair because I like to bring people together, and I also like organizing events,” said Tania Habibabadi, a social chair who helped coordinate the International Food Fair. “My goals for this year are to create better relations among people of different cultures and backgrounds; gain a better understanding of Unites States culture and society; add to USC's already diverse culture; and have fun and, hopefully, relieve the stress of law school.”

Her classmate Abraham Sanchez Siqueiros, an SBA rep, said he is excited to get involved in student politics since he didn’t have the time as a law student in Mexico.

“It’s about building relationships between students,” Siqueiros said. “My concern is that J.D.s and LL.M.s get to understand each other and build relationships that will last and reach across the world.”

SBA Representatives

Each USC Law student, by virtue of enrollment, is a member of the Student Bar Association (SBA), USC Law’s student government. The goals of the SBA are to make sure each student has a voice in the administration of the law school and to assist students in adjusting to the law school experience. The SBA also sponsors many social and academic activities.
 
The elected SBA representatives represent G&IP students at weekly SBA meetings and present any issues, feedback or suggestions raised at these meetings to the class. The representatives communicate regularly with the G&IP Office to discuss issues raised at the SBA meetings.

Abraham Sanchez Siqueiros has lived and studied in both Mexico and the United States. He earned his law degree from the University of Sonora in 2007. While in law school, Siqueiros worked on numerous political campaigns as a youth leader in the National Action Party. He also worked for the Municipal Government of Hermosillo, Sonora, where he participated in litigation involving land tax and eminent domain, among other things. Siqueiros spent two years at Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear LLP, an intellectual property firm in Orange County.

Sonja Schneemann started her study of law and economics at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. In 2003, she continued at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, where her main focus was business/corporate law. Schneemann clerked at international law firms Shearman & Sterling LLP in Mannheim and Latham & Watkins LLP in Hamburg, where she gained practical experience in antitrust and merger control as well as banking, finance and real estate. Schneemann also worked for a law coach and several professors at Johannes Gutenberg University.

Social Chairs

As a way to encourage friendships and celebrate the diversity of USC Law’s G&IP students, social chairpersons are elected each year. The social chairs seek to bring people of different cultures and backgrounds closer, while helping students gain a better understanding of U.S. culture and society. They are responsible for organizing events for the G&IP class.

Yumi Ahn received her B.A. in Law & Economics at Queen Mary, University of London, and completed a graduate program at the College of Law of England & Wales. Ahn did pro bono work at the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau. She also clerked at Kim & Chang, a leading international law firm in Korea, where she conducted research on U.S. laws on various corporate issues. Prior to her legal studies, Ahn was a professional concert pianist. She performed extensively in Europe, including at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles’ 50th birthday celebration.

Tania Habibabadi received her Bachelor of Laws degree from Azad University in Tehran. After graduation, she worked as a legal advisor in one of the most reputable international law firms in Tehran. Her focus was on international contracts, joint ventures and refugees’ law in Iran. Habibabadi spent three years working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Afghan refugees’ issues. She moved to the United States in 2005 and subsequently worked as an intern in the Immigration Law Office of Saeed Ghafari and Associates in San Francisco.

Dae Ho “Tiger” Ko received his Bachelor of Laws degree from Seoul National University. He also attended a pre-law program at Yale Law School. Ko worked as a researcher at Huang Law Institute and was Vice President of Suin Co., which deals in trade matters. Additionally, he was head of the research department at Seolaw law firm in Seoul.