Rishika Prakash, first-generation law student, did not often see herself reflected in the legal profession. But her grandfather in India, who championed women’s education long before it was common, influenced her greatly. “He was always adamant that the women in his family continue their education,” she explained. “That sentiment trickled down to me and encouraged me to pursue my legal education.”

While studying government and liberal arts in the Honors program at the University of Texas at Austin, Rishika began thinking more seriously about her identity. “Covid hitting while I was an undergraduate gave me an opportunity to think about my place in this country, and where there’s a need for representation,” she said. At the same time, she was drawn to business and began to see law as a way to connect those interests. “I thought, ‘Corporate law is a major sector in this country,’” recalled Rishika, who earned a Business certificate at UT. “Is it diverse? No. Is there a need for it? Yes, I feel like there is.” She continues to encourage those around her not only to seek out spaces where representation is lacking, but to become the representation they wish to see.

Though she loved her undergraduate experience at Texas, Rishika recognized the value of a private school, with a smaller student body and more concentrated resources. Vanderbilt specifically appealed because of its national rank, diverse job placements, generous scholarship offerings, and Law & Business program. “I wanted to go to a school where I would succeed,” she explained, “with professors who are leaders in their field and publish influential work through student journals.”

Once at Vanderbilt, Rishika appreciated the opportunity to diversify her courseload. “I was able to balance learning business law and also get a better understanding of general legal principles,” she said. In the spring of her 1L year, Rishika chose Corporations as her elective, which she said set her up well for her summer job at a big law firm in Dallas, near her hometown of Plano.

Rishika credits her Career Services advisor for reviewing her cover letters and resumé and giving her more confidence her first year of law school. “Because 1L recruiting, especially for Texas, happens so early into law school, it was really nice to have that support,” said Rishika, who acknowledged that balancing academics and recruiting is not easy as a 1L. “I came into law school thinking, ‘I want a job I am suited for at the end of this,’” she said, “so I really put energy and effort into recruiting early on.”

Rishika made the most of her classroom experiences as well. Her most memorable course was Access to Justice with Professor Lauren Sudeall, which took students inside a local Nashville women’s prison and rehabilitation center. “To have the opportunity to talk to those women and hear about their experiences with the legal system, why they are frustrated, and what they want law students to know, was really impactful,” she said. She also thoroughly enjoyed the Venture Capital Seminar with Professor Brian Broughman. “We read dense, highly academic writing and then had the opportunity to dissect and evaluate the argumentation through seminar papers,” she said.

Rishika was extremely busy during her three years at Vanderbilt Law. She served as Senior Engagement and Production Editor, and later as a senior board member, on the Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law (JET); president of Opening Statement: First-Generation Lawyers; Vice President of the Law and Business Society; and Philanthropy Coordinator for the Women’s Law Student Association. “I have always had an interest in entertainment and technology law, so I found JET to be the perfect way to get into this sector,” she explained.

Now that she’s graduated, Rishika has relocated from Nashville to Chicago to work for Kirkland & Ellis. Though she’s no longer in school, she said of her peers, “we feel like we have been friends for five to 10 years, because law school brings people together in a way that creates deep, lasting friendships and a truly supportive community. We are going to be friends forever.” Rishika will miss the students she met in Vanderbilt’s other graduate schools, too, some of whom, like her, studied in the Central, Divinity and Medical School libraries. “I found that going to the other side of campus was a nice change pace, as was having friends that are not all in law school.” She encouraged future law students to do the same, and above all else, said, “be confident that you can make it through. Having an optimistic mindset can take you really far in law school.”