2025–2026 Fellows

Sarah Lee is a JD/MPA candidate at Columbia Law and Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 2022, receiving the Isidore Brown Thesis Prize for her research on tenant-landlord dynamics in Korean immigrant enclaves. 

As a Scholar in the Nation's Service Initiative (SINSI) Fellow, she worked in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the Office of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. 

Sarah has volunteered for the past three years as a tax preparer in New Jersey and D.C. with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA), an IRS program that prepares taxes pro bono for eligible low-income individuals. As a DPLI Fellow, Sarah plans to establish a VITA site at the Law School. Through this program, students will have the opportunity to become IRS-certified and gain first-hand knowledge of practical tax advocacy.

ZeSean ’28, from Oregon, earned a B.A. in Chemistry from Reed College and an M.T.S. in Ethics, Politics, and Religion from Harvard. He has coordinated humanitarian aid in Israel/Palestine, taught negotiation to Harvard undergraduates, and co-authored case studies at Harvard Business School. At Columbia Law School, he focuses on human rights, negotiation, and polarization. As a Davis Polk Leadership Fellow, ZeSean plans to launch HealPolitik, a dialogue and policy initiative that brings Columbia Law students from across the political spectrum together to collaborate on solutions to divisive social issues. Through structured, student-led sessions, participants will aim to uncover shared interests and co-create policy memos and articles that highlight shared social goals. By transforming ideological tension into opportunities for problem-solving, HealPolitik aims to cultivate a culture of empathy, intellectual humility, and constructive engagement within the Columbia Law School community and beyond.

Mackenzie is proud to be a Davis Polk Leadership Fellow. Mackenzie earned a B.A. in Global Studies & Anthropology with a minor in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. During her undergraduate years, Mackenzie was deeply involved with UC Berkeley Law's Human Rights Center, participating in the Investigations Lab and eventually leading a team tracking multilingual misinformation. Mackenzie worked as an open-source investigator at Amnesty International USA and Amnesty International’s International Secretariat, where she built expertise in the digital verification and documentation of gross human rights abuses. She then joined Pluro Labs, a nonpartisan AI research and policy lab dedicated to safeguarding democracy from technological abuses, where she headed legal strategy and impact litigation work. These experiences affirmed Mackenzie's passion for using artificial intelligence and data to drive accountability and inform ethical technology governance.

As a DPLI Fellow, Mackenzie, along with her co-fellows Jacob Hoon and Joanna Zhang, will be working on the Leading in AI Project, which aims to address a critical gap in legal education: many law students enter the profession without structured engagement with AI’s transformative impact. The project equips Columbia Law students with fluency in AI, ethical grounding, and leadership skills to navigate AI-driven disruption and develop models of good governance. It advances urgent conversations about AI in the legal profession while promoting adaptability, collaboration, and resilience across the Columbia community and reinforcing the Law School’s position as a global changemaker.

Hoon-Joon “Jacob” Lee earned a B.B.A. from the College of Business Administration at Seoul National University. After graduation, he spent four years building a career in business strategy and corporate finance across start-ups, investment banking, and a global law firm. Building on this experience, Jacob is passionate about balancing private and public interests to deliver long-term value to stakeholders. He believes that achieving ambitious, sustainable goals requires adherence to fundamentals and alignment of key interests to foster inclusive, equitable governance. This philosophy guides his legal studies at Columbia Law School, where he focuses on the rules and ethics governing global capital markets and actively engages with organizations across New York City.

As a DPLI Fellow, Jacob, along with co-fellows Mackenzie Berwick and Joanna Zhang, will be working on the Leading in AI Project, which aims to address a critical gap in legal education: many law students enter the profession without structured engagement with AI’s transformative impact. The project equips Columbia Law students with fluency in AI, ethical grounding, and leadership skills to navigate AI-driven disruption and develop models of good governance. It advances urgent conversations about AI in the legal profession while promoting adaptability, collaboration, and resilience across the Columbia community and reinforcing the Law School’s position as a global changemaker.

Joanna is a first-generation Chinese Canadian who earned a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Human Rights from the University of Chicago. As an undergraduate, she worked extensively in human rights as a leader for two organizations: the University of Chicago Without Borders and the Partnership for the Advancement of Refugee Rights. Additionally, she served as a court watcher for the Federal Criminal Justice Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. After graduation, she worked for three years as an economic consultant, handling a diverse range of cases that spanned antitrust in AI to corporate governance for securities issuers.

As a DPLI Fellow, Joanna, along with co-fellows Mackenzie Berwick and Jacob Hoon, will be working on the Leading in AI Project, which aims to address a critical gap in legal education: many law students enter the profession without structured engagement with AI’s transformative impact. The project equips Columbia Law students with fluency in AI, ethical grounding, and leadership skills to navigate AI-driven disruption and develop models of good governance. It advances urgent conversations about AI in the legal profession while promoting adaptability, collaboration, and resilience across the Columbia community and reinforcing the Law School’s position as a global changemaker.

Azher Jaweed is a first-generation law student born in Hyderabad, India, and raised in the Chicago area. At Columbia Law School, he serves as Pro Bono Chair for the Columbia Law and Entrepreneurship Society and as Vice President of Community Affairs for the Muslim Law Students Association. Before law school, Azher graduated from Wesleyan University with honors, earning dual B.A. degrees in History and Environmental Studies. His senior thesis, “Temples of Modern India: Religion, Developmentalism, and the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam,” explored the intersection of infrastructure, religion, and state-building in post-independence India. Professionally, Azher has worked across litigation support and capital markets, serving as an Assistant Managing Clerk at Cleary Gottlieb and later as a Structured Products Analyst at Davis Polk & Wardwell. He is also a chess educator who has taught more than 1,000 hours of chess in schools, community centers, and homes across New York City. During the summer of 2025, he served as a Legal Fellow with the NY/NJ High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, where he created a blueprint manual to help replicate New York City’s Gun Violence Strategies Partnership in major metropolitan areas nationwide. Azher will join Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP as a Summer Clerk in 2026. 

As a DPLI Fellow, Azher and his co-fellow Samuel Nechi are leading Socratic Chess, a community initiative that teaches leadership, strategy, and communication through chess and debate to at-risk youth in New York City. The project combines intellectual growth with civic development, encouraging students to view leadership as both analytical and empathetic. Through this initiative, they seek to empower youth with the tools to think critically, express themselves confidently, and engage constructively with their communities.

Samuel Nechi is proud to be a Davis Polk Leadership Fellow. Samuel is a first-generation Nigerian American and the first person in his family to pursue a law degree. At Columbia Law School, he serves as a 2L representative for the Black Men's Initiative, sits on the Private Sector Committee of the Black Law Students Association, and serves as the President of the Columbia Law Soccer Club. Samuel earned his B.A. in Philosophy from Texas A&M University, graduating magna cum laude with a thesis titled “The Double Consciousness of Black People.” During his undergraduate years, he played varsity football as a running back for Texas A&M and served on the Black Student Alliance Council, and these experiences shaped his commitment to mentorship, discipline, and community engagement. 

Over the summer, Samuel interned as a 1L Summer Associate at Sidley Austin LLP and was chosen as a Built to Lead Scholar. He also completed a two-week secondment with Amazon’s Day 1 Legal Academy in Seattle. Before attending law school, Samuel gained experience working at Optiva Capital, an immigration and capital investment firm, and as a manager of Hi-Tech Pharmaceutical.

As a DPLI Fellow, Samuel and his co-fellow Azher Jaweed are leading Socratic Chess, a community initiative that teaches leadership, strategy, and communication through chess and debate to at-risk youth in New York City. The project combines intellectual growth with civic development, encouraging students to view leadership as both analytical and empathetic. Through this initiative, they seek to empower youth with the tools to think critically, express themselves confidently, and engage constructively with their communities.

Maria Eliana is a Brazilian corporate lawyer specializing in corporate governance and M&A. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas and a postgraduate degree in Tax Law from the Instituto Brasileiro de Direito Tributário. Over the past eight years, she has advised on both national and cross-border transactions across a variety of industries.

Beyond her transactional expertise, Maria Eliana is committed to leadership and mentorship within the legal profession. She participated in a leadership initiative in Brazil, through which she mentored a young legal practitioner and supported their professional development. As a Black woman in the corporate field and the first-generation lawyer in her family, Maria Eliana believes that leadership plays a critical role in building environments that foster professional growth and equip lawyers with the skills necessary to thrive and achieve success in their careers.

As a DPLI Fellow, Drishti and her co-fellows Sylvia Julius and Maria Eliana Pereira will work on a business development accelerator for law students to prepare them for working either within private practice or as in-house counsel. The project focuses on building skills necessary to be successful within corporate practice, including how to pitch, gain visibility with key internal stakeholders, position themselves strategically, and progress professionally. The cornerstone of the project will be on pragmatically harnessing the aforementioned skills to effectively engage in stakeholder development once within practice and achieve professional growth. This project will enrich Columbia Law students by creating a space where they can engage with practicing lawyers and gain insights into the realities of career advancement beyond technical legal expertise. By centering business development as a core leadership skill, the accelerator aims to prepare students for holistic professional growth in the private sector and in roles as in-house counsel.

Sylvia is a proud Nigerian-Irish first-generation lawyer qualified to practice law in both the Republic of Ireland and in England and Wales. She holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting, a Master’s degree in Law, and has completed the CFA Level 1 examination. With eight years of corporate experience at the intersection of law and finance, Sylvia has worked with leading global institutions including White & Case LLP, Arthur Cox LLP, Morgan Stanley, and Deutsche Bank.

Beyond her professional career, Sylvia is deeply committed to community service. She has served as a Board Member for a London-based poverty alleviation charity and as a committee member of the Irish Women Lawyers Association. During her academic journey, she was active in student leadership, including serving on the Student Council during her undergraduate studies, and she now serves on the Student Senate at Columbia Law School. Sylvia is dedicated to expanding access to the legal profession for students from all backgrounds.

As a DPLI Fellow, Sylvia and her co-fellows Drishti Das and Maria Eliana Pereira will work on a business development accelerator for law students to prepare them for working either within private practice or as in-house counsel. The project focuses on building skills necessary to be successful within corporate practice, including how to pitch, gain visibility with key internal stakeholders, position themselves strategically, and progress professionally. The cornerstone of the project will be on pragmatically harnessing the aforementioned skills to effectively engage in stakeholder development once within practice and achieve professional growth.  This project will enrich Columbia Law students by creating a space where they can engage with practicing lawyers and gain insights into the realities of career advancement beyond technical legal expertise. By centering business development as a core leadership skill, the accelerator aims to prepare students for holistic professional growth in the private sector and in roles as in-house counsel.

Drishti is an LL.M. candidate at Columbia Law School focusing on financial regulation and policy through an interdisciplinary, realist and strategic lens. Prior to the LL.M., she was a Principal Associate at an Indian law firm, where her practice spanned financial, regulatory, securities, corporate and insolvency law, including litigations before the Supreme Court of India. Drishti has also represented and advised clients in disciplinary proceedings and investigations and has been involved in various high profile and precedent setting litigations and transactions in the financial and regulatory space. Drishti is especially interested in financial and regulatory policy development, and has presented a policy paper (co-authored) on insider trading prosecution to the Indian securities regulator. She interned with a Judge of the Bombay High Court dealing with company law matters and graduated as a double gold medalist in her undergraduate law program. 

As a Davis Polk Leadership Fellow, Drishti and her co-fellows Sylvia Julius and Maria Eliana Pereira will work on a business development accelerator for law students to prepare them for working either within private practice or as in-house counsel. The project focuses on building skills necessary to be successful within corporate practice, including how to pitch, gain visibility with key internal stakeholders, position themselves strategically, and progress professionally. The cornerstone of the project will be on pragmatically harnessing the aforementioned skills to effectively engage in stakeholder development once within practice and achieve professional growth. This project will enrich Columbia Law students by creating a space where they can engage with practicing lawyers and gain insights into the realities of career advancement beyond technical legal expertise. By centering business development as a core leadership skill, the accelerator aims to prepare students for holistic professional growth in the private sector and in roles as in-house counsel.

Kuo is a first-generation law school student originally from Beijing, China. He received his B.S. in Medical Laboratory Science from Peking University in 2017 and his M.P.H. in Chronic Disease Epidemiology from Yale University in 2019, where his thesis examined the policy implications of generic drug approvals and was later published in JAMA Network Open. Before starting at Columbia Law School, Kuo spent six years working mainly in California’s medical technology industry at Intuitive Surgical and Terumo Neuro. In these roles, he managed cross-border regulatory submissions for high-risk medical devices, advised business teams on compliance and approval strategies, and worked closely with health agencies in both the U.S. and China to navigate regulatory frameworks and secure timely product approvals.

As a DPLI Fellow, Kuo, along with his co-fellow Neelam Sandhu, will be launching the In-House Counsel Launch Pad, a year-long initiative designed to equip Columbia Law students—especially first-generation and underrepresented peers—with knowledge and practical training for impactful in-house careers. As a first-generation international student, Kuo understands the challenges of navigating corporate environments, finding mentors, and pursuing career development without established networks. He hopes this project will create shared learning opportunities that demystify the in-house path and build collective confidence. Their project will focus on simulations, workshops, and cross-disciplinary programming to help students navigate corporate strategy, develop industry literacy, and gain confidence in workplace leadership skills.

Neelam Sandhu is a first-year J.D. candidate from Bedford, New Hampshire. She received her B.A. with distinction from Yale University, where she double-majored in Global Affairs and History. Before starting at Columbia Law School, Neelam spent four years as an associate at Blackstone in New York, working under the General Counsel of the firm’s credit platform. In this role, she helped manage fund formation and governance processes, coordinated board and investor communications, and collaborated with external counsel across regulatory, tax, and transactional matters, experiences that deepened her understanding of corporate law and sparked her passion for in-house leadership.

As a DPLI Fellow, Neelam Sandhu, along with her co-fellow Kuo Jiao, will be launching the In-House Counsel Launch Pad, a year-long initiative designed to equip Columbia Law students—especially first-generation and underrepresented peers—with knowledge and practical training for impactful in-house careers. Drawing on her experience supporting senior executives and navigating the corporate legal landscape, Neelam aims to empower peers, especially those without traditional networks, to approach in-house careers with confidence, clarity, and a sense of belonging. Their project will focus on simulations, workshops, and cross-disciplinary programming to help students navigate corporate strategy, develop industry literacy, and gain confidence in workplace leadership skills.