Renee Ahlers, '13

Renee Ahlers '13
Hometown: East Northport, New York
Undergrad: Brown University, '09
Major: International Relations and Hispanic Studies
Law School activities: Intramural volleyball

Renee Ahlers’ love of all things international was inspired by her family–she has a grandmother from Rome and a grandfather from Ecuador–and was fueled by a fascination by the simple ties, say a shared love of enchiladas, that can unite people of different cultures.

She’s sought out plenty of opportunities to satiate that fascination.

Throughout college, Renee volunteered with a student-run ESOL program that offered free English classes to immigrants living in the area. During school breaks, she pursued overseas internships researching social policies for the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, and working in an orphanage of 30 children in Ghana. She also spent time studying abroad in Salamanca, Spain.

After graduation, a Fulbright Scholarship took Renee to Toluca, Mexico, for a year. She worked as a teacher’s assistant in the English department of a small university and held discussion workshops that explored cross-cultural issues that affect Mexicans and Americans alike.

Attending law school has always been a part of her life plan. Renee is interested in the many aspects of international law, whether it’s the public interest side in immigration and human rights law, or the private sector, which offers prospect of working one on one with international clients.

Though she hasn’t been in law school very long, Renee already has seen how quickly it begins to shape the way a person thinks.

“So much of what you learn here informs your point of view and there doesn’t seem to be an off-switch to it,” she said.

Here's why Renee chose Chicago Law:

"What drew me most was the feeling of geniune intellectual curiosity among students and faculty, the small class size, and the familiar atmosphere that results. The faculty are as impressive as they are approachable. It's not everyday that you casually sip coffee and chat with a professor who has argued numerous times before the Supreme Court."