Class of 2019 Joins UC Davis School of Law

Members of the UC Davis School of Law Class of 2019 began their first semester courses on August 22, bringing their diverse talents, backgrounds, and interests to the King Hall community.

The 157 new J.D. candidates were selected from 2,850 applicants. Of those who chose to self-identify ethnicity, 52 percent are people of color.  Fifty-seven percent are female.  More than one-fourth come from an economically disadvantaged background, and an almost equal number are first-generation college students. The diverse new class joins a King Hall community that includes the only "majority-minority" faculty of any top tier American law school.

The new class includes students from Russia, China, South Korea, Mexico, Zimbabwe, and all around the United States.  In addition to alumni of UC Davis and other University of California campuses, the Class of 2019 includes graduates of Princeton, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Howard University, Hunter College, New York University, Boston University, the University of Michigan, the University of Texas, the University of Florida, the University of Maryland, the University of Arizona, the U.S. Air Force Academy, Hongik University in Korea, and China's Fudan University, among others. 

Among the many impressive members of the new class:

• Aaron Bonner graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Political Science. His work as an undergraduate research assistant prepared him for his role as a Jesse M. Unruh Assembly Fellow in the California State Assembly. Shortly after completing the fellowship program, he worked as a legislative aide for the Majority Floor Leader of the Assembly, Chris Holden. He is a graduate of the King Hall Outreach Program Pre-Law Bootcamp and a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies.
• Judy Kang has a degree in Liberal Studies from UC Riverside. She has worked as a full-time legal assistant and, most recently, as a litigation assistant at West Coast Trial Lawyers. Prior to that, she volunteered for Youth with a Mission and taught English in Amman, Jordan.
• Brandon McCown served in the U.S. Army with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, the 338th Psychological Operations Company, and the 5004th U.S. Army Hospital before being honorably discharged as a disabled combat veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. He has also done volunteer work with the South Plains Food Bank Kids Café program, which combats childhood hunger. A 2015 graduate of Texas Tech University, he is married and the father of two.
• Tyler Moran played basketball at the University of the Pacific for four years on a full athletic scholarship and also spent seven years working as a singer based in Austin, Texas, writing and recording an album of her own songs and touring around the country with a 10-piece band. She discovered her passion for law while working to copyright her music, and looks forward to exploring career possibilities in intellectual property, entertainment law, or a related field.
• Precious Ncube graduated from UC Berkeley where she designed her studies around the economic and political development of the third world. During college, she was a language consultant, tutored various courses, played intercollegiate tennis, and led the African Students Association. After graduating, she worked as a freelance writer and ran two start-ups, ICI Africa and the Amanzi Initiative. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and the Golden Key National Honor Society and has volunteered at Habitat for Humanity, International Rescue Committee, Amnesty International, and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
• Joaquin Recinos is from Northeast Los Angeles. He is the oldest of three boys and the son of union organizers. He earned his undergraduate degree in English at Georgetown University, where his most memorable experience was working with cafeteria workers to help organize their union. He looks forward to putting the knowledge and skills acquired at King Hall to work in his community.
• Ilene Reynoso recently graduated with a 4.0 GPA and a degree in Political Science and Psychology from the University of Arizona, where she was a member of Phi Alpha Delta and served on the planning committee for the National Collegiate Leadership Conference in various roles including co-chair. She also worked as a student assistant for the University of Arizona's Department of Leadership Programs and completed the Blue Chip Leadership Experience with Honors. She is from Winters, California.
• Evan Sumer arrives at King Hall with an MBA from the University of Texas, Austin, and more than 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur. While creating a number of start-up companies, he had the opportunity to work with some outstanding attorneys and discovered a passion for the law. He is the father of a newborn and a fourth-grader.