Like many teenagers, Alejandro Pena was strongly influenced by his father. As an eighth grader, the Miami native went to his dad’s office for “Take Your Child to Work Day” and knew instantly that he wanted to be an attorney too. “I remember sitting in the corner of his office and having an epiphany,” he said. “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Alejandro was less certain what type of law he wanted to practice, however. A summer internship with Bacardi USA, while an undergrad at the University of Miami, started to answer that. “I was able to do some Intellectual Property (IP) work at Bacardi, where I was a legal clerk for their in-house legal team,” he said. “Little did I know that something I was doing when I was 20 years old would help me out post-grad.”

Given that he wanted to return home to Miami, Alejandro sought out a law school whose job placements were not predicated on its location. Vanderbilt’s prestigious reputation and ability to place graduates all over the country were the main draws. “Vanderbilt was not only an opportunity to get an exceptional education, but to find my path back to Florida eventually,” he said.

Once in Nashville, Alejandro was blown away by both his professors and his fellow classmates. “To be able to learn from and have conversations with someone like Professor [James] Blumenstein, who has argued cases in front of the Supreme Court, was so rewarding,” he said. Alejandro also thoroughly enjoyed Administrative Law with Professor Stack, who engaged students and facilitated lively classroom discussions. “Vanderbilt’s law school is relatively small,” he said, “and one benefit is that you have more direct access to professors. There is a real opportunity for you to get to know them better and develop a one-on-one relationship.”

Alejandro worked as a law clerk at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in Major Crimes after his 1L year. The most rewarding part, he said, was “being in front of a judge, observing the etiquette of how to pick a jury, how to object to evidence, how to give an opening statement and a closing statement.” Being able to watch a trial from beginning to end was something he said he will never forget.

Back on campus as a 2L, Alejandro was a member of the Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law (JETLaw). “One of the purviews under that Journal is IP,” he explained, “so it was another opportunity for me to develop research on what I’m going to be doing as an attorney upon graduation.” He drafted a note on Artificial Intelligence and the potential impacts it may have on copyright and trademarks. Alejandro was also part of the Co-Council mentorship program. “It was great to be able to help ease the 1Ls with their transition into law school,” he said.

Last year, Alejandro returned to Miami as a Summer Associate at Foley & Lardner, where he will work in their Trademark, Copyright & Advertising practice group after graduation. “It’s a Midwestern firm based out of Milwaukee, and there’s a sense of collegiality,” he explained. “I’ll be looked after and will have mentors and people to look up to at this firm, so I think I got extremely lucky in that sense.”

Reflecting on his time at Vanderbilt, Alejandro admitted that he was initially hesitant about leaving his hometown and venturing to a new city. “But it has been one of the most exceptional and amazing experiences,” he said, “due to the student body.”

Another benefit of the smaller class sizes is the ease with which you can get to know your classmates. “It’s a truly great feeling to be able to walk the halls and wave to everybody because you know everybody there,” he said.

Alejandro’s advice for students who will walk those same halls in the future is not to get overwhelmed. “There is a light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, “so put in the work, and you’ll feel prepared. Always, if anything, over prepare.”