William Tong, '00, Appointed Cochairman of Connecticut General Assembly's Judiciary Committee

After humble beginnings, William Tong's life has been a series of accomplishments.

A law degree from the University of Chicago. A position as commercial litigator at Finn Dixon & Herling in Stamford. Election to the state House of Representatives in 2006. And now an appointment to serve as cochairman of the General Assembly's Judiciary Committee, a post that puts him in a position to shape criminal and civil law in Connecticut and help influence how attorneys, judges and the court system operate.

He traces his decision to become a lawyer and a public official to one source: his parents. They immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1970s and opened Chinese restaurants in the Hartford area.