Veterans of war and service
Four of the 26 current and former members of the U.S. armed forces in this year’s entering class at Harvard Law School share their experiences in the military and at HLS.
M. Alejandra Parra-Orlandoni ’15: engineer, naval officer, and lawyer
After serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy, M. Alejandra Parra-Orlandoni focused on international law and national security during her time at Harvard Law School. But the most important things she learned, she says, were the ability to think critically and the importance of learning from the experience of others.
Eve Howe ’21: ‘I want to use my degree or knowledge to help’
Eve L. Howe ’21 is an expert in nuclear submarines — specifically, the fluid systems that cool the nuclear reactors in military submarines. Drawn to military service because she wanted to use her engineering skills for public service, Howe spent five years as an officer in the U.S. Navy, where she solved complex technical problems to ensure the submarines would be able to accomplish their missions.
As a JAG officer, Jenna Reed prosecuted some of the most serious cases in the U.S. Marine Corps
As a JAG officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for more than six years, Jenna E. Reed LL.M. ’18 prosecuted and defended some of the most serious cases in that branch of the military, focusing on violent and special victims crimes, including shaken-baby cases and others involving children.
Military experience provides “a level of discipline and willingness to work hard even when it’s uncomfortable,” says Nathan Garrett Jester ’20
In becoming a Marine and then a lawyer, Nathan Garrett Jester ’20 is interested in someday going into local or state politics in his home state of Georgia, to serve the community where he was born and raised.
Steven Kerns ’20: “Leading people toward a better world required me to trade in my rifle for books”
Steven Kerns ’20 was a high school dropout, a self-described ‘rebel without a cause’ from Long Beach, Calif., when he joined the U.S. Army as a teenager looking for adventure, with vague notions of changing the world.
Being a Marine gave Isabel Marin ’20 the perspective “to see past the news to understand what’s really happening”
Ever since she was little girl growing up in Washington, D.C., Isabel Marin ’20 has wanted to be a lawyer. But between graduating from Yale in 2012 and entering law school this year, Marin had an important goal: to serve as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Shulkin seeks to increase service and accountability at Veterans Affairs
On Thursday, Nov. 2, Dr. David Shulkin, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, will deliver the 2017 Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Distinguished Lecture at Harvard Law School. In advance of his visit to the law school, Secretary Shulkin answered a few questions about the Department of Veterans Affairs and its service to veterans.