Service is at the heart of The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law 's mission. We believe every student holds a profound responsibility to advance the public interest and expand access to justice. The law school is exceptionally proud to highlight the Class of 2026 graduates who are stepping into their legal careers ready to turn this mission into action. The dedicated new lawyers profiled below will serve communities across a wide range of roles, including state and federal judicial clerkships, Honors Attorney Programs, District Attorneys' offices, the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG), and various state and federal agencies. By committing their talents to the public good, these remarkable graduates embody Catholic Law’s highest ideals. We celebrate their dedication to making a tangible impact and look forward to watching them shape a more just world.

Victoria Aghamalian
Judicial Clerkship, Judge J. Bradford McCullough, Montgomery County Circuit Court

Victoria has held pro bono and public-interest work as a central tenet throughout her time at Catholic Law. She volunteered with the Little Sisters of the Poor for all 3 years in law school. In her 1L year, she volunteered with the DC Bar Pro Bono Center's Advice & Referral Clinic. During her 1L summer, she worked with the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office in the Circuit Court as a District Court Screener. During her 2L year, she volunteered with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network Immigration Clinic. During her 2L summer, she completed a pro bono judicial internship with Judge Theresa Chernosky. Victoria also participated in the law school’s Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic. Post-grad, she will clerk for Judge J. Bradford McCullough in the Montgomery County Circuit Court in the family law rotation. In her words, “I am excited to clerk and to have an opportunity to get a better grasp of how cases progress through the court system and how attorneys advocate for their clients in court to help them achieve their goals.”

Albert Anaim
Judicial Clerkship, Judge James Eisenhower, Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County

While in law school, Albert focused much of his time on the legal needs of workers and low-income communities. He dedicated 100 hours to the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs’, Workers’ Rights Clinic (WRC). Reflecting on his work, Albert shared, “My favorite part of (the Workers’ Rights Clinic) was working with the attorneys and seeing how they think through real legal problems with real consequences. Their passion for helping the underprivileged inspires me to keep coming back.” Throughout his 1L and 2L years, as part of the First-Generation Law Student Union, Albert had an impact on the local community by helping middle schoolers at DC Prep prepare for high school application interviews through mock interviews. In the fall of his 2L year, he participated in the Columbus Community Legal Services, Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic as a Student Attorney. During his 3L year, Albert assisted the career and admissions offices in producing the spring 2026 Archbishop Carroll High School open house, volunteering for the student panel and enlisting other students to help. He performed community service work at St. George's Church as part of his leadership role with the Middle Eastern Student Bar Association. He served as the 2025-2026 student leader on the Pro Bono Advisory Board, as Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Student Bar Association, as Public Relations Officer with the Labor & Employment Law Society, as Vice President of the First Generation Law Student Union, and as Treasurer of the Middle Eastern Student Bar Association. Prior to law school, Albert coached high school teams in the High School Ethics Bowl in Washington, DC. During law school, he continued to serve as a judge for the Ethics Bowl and to help with preparations. He is a recipient of the law school’s Highest Pro Bono Honors, of a Comparative and International Law Certificate, and will clerk for Judge James Eisenhower in the Court of Common Pleas, 1st Judicial District of Pennsylvania, following graduation.

Chloe Czapla Butler
Honors Program Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice

During law school, Chloe gained several public interest experiences. During her 1L summer, she interned with the nonprofit American Bankers Association. During her 2L year, Chloe interned with the Financial Litigation Unit of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Chloe continued her work with the Department of Justice, becoming an Honors Intern during her 2L summer and throughout her 3L year. After graduation, Chloe will join the Department of Justice full-time through the Attorney General Honors Program. “I am honored to begin my career with the Department of Justice and to contribute to the Department’s important work in service to the public.”

Alexa Cahill
Assistant District Attorney, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office

One of the components that drew Alexa to Catholic Law was the law school’s Law & Public Policy Program. She knew she wanted experience in Congress; in her 1L year, she reached out to a 2L who had worked in the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, an office Alexa was interested in. She worked there her 1L summer through her 2L year, and then during her 2L summer through her 3L fall, she worked with the House Committee on Science, Space & Technology. But something had shifted at the end of her 1L year. During her Lawyering Skills Program capstone appellate arguments, she realized she loved oral arguments and wanted not only to serve the public and shed light on certain issues, but also to be a vocal advocate. She started applying for postgraduate positions during her 2L summer and reached out on LinkedIn to learn more about various career paths. After talking with an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice about their career and how they started out as an Assistant District Attorney, she applied to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Alexa will start the day before her birthday as an Assistant District Attorney. She was a Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Fellow during her 1L summer, a Foundation mentor during her 2L summer, and was awarded the Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Justice Jumpstart Fellowship in her 3L year, an honor awarded to only 6 law students nationwide.

1LT Jack Cherico
Judge Advocate General, U.S. Army JAG Lieutenant

In the late fall, Jack will start the JAG pipeline at the JAG school in Charlottesville, VA. He has always wanted to be a JAG. He participated in ROTC in college, and each year he fell more in love with the experience. He has also always wanted to earn a law degree and to practice, so the B.A./J.D. joint degree (3+3) program at Catholic University made sense for him. Jack acknowledges this process would have been grueling anywhere, but he found that Catholic University was very supportive. With assistance from the Registrar and the law school, taking courses online while attending the military intelligence officer basic course in Arizona, helped immensely. Feeling like he was treated like an individual helped immensely.

Cameron Collins
Judicial Clerkship, Judge Judith Pipe, Superior Court of the District of Columbia

As a first-generation law student, Cameron's theme throughout law school was to explore different areas to find the best fit. Starting with his interest in political science, one of his favorite classes was Constitutional Law (Con Law). He had a Con Law class in high school; he took another one in undergrad, and then as a 1L, and loved it. Cameron was also able to take the law school’s Constitutional Law Seminar and then capped it off with Justice Clarence Thomas’ class. During his 2L summer, he interned with the Prince William County Office of the Public Defender and discovered that many of the defense-side motions were constitutional arguments. He also realized he liked litigation. During his 3L spring, he interned with the law school’s Criminal Prosecution Clinic at the State’s Attorney’s Office of Montgomery County and served as a student attorney through the Rule 19 program. He found it to be an incredible experience. Cameron was Staff and Associate Editor on the Catholic University Law Review. His comment, titled "The Flaws of Bruen and the Principle of the Second Amendment," was recently published.

Raifle Demetrius
Judicial Clerkship, Judge Karla Smith, Montgomery County

Raifle did not originally see himself clerking after graduation. He has always been invested in serving the community and wanted to go into something public facing that would have an impact on people’s lives. In the fall of his 2L year through the following spring, he worked with the State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery County, MD. In this role, Raifle worked with the Office’s Truancy Prevention Program. He continued to volunteer with this program through the fall of his 3L year. The program, a hallmark of the Office, aims to impart to local youth the benefits of staying in school. Raif found it to be the most impactful way for public servants to give back. While at the State’s Attorney’s Office, he heard Judge Karla Smith speak, and the way she humanized those in front of her resonated with him. He knew he wanted to learn from her and secured an internship in her chambers during his 2L summer. As a first-generation college, graduate, and law student, and coming from a family without great wealth, he has witnessed what true riches look like in giving back to the community. He has seen that generosity come back tenfold. Raif will join Judge Smith as her law clerk following graduation.

Ileana Elder
Branch Chief, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Ileana loves her job. Every day when she shuts down the computer, she feels that she has done something that will help someone. Prior to law school, she started noticing that half of her time was spent with lawyers. She wanted to be able to converse with and contribute to the discussions. During law school, Ileana continued to work full-time and gives Catholic Law kudos for the part-time program; the size of the class and the quality of the professors teaching the evening classes. She believes she could not have obtained her JD without the Catholic Law community, her husband’s help, and traditional time management skills! During law school, Ileana participated in the Immigrant and Advocacy Clinic’s Spring Break Trip and found the experience life-changing; she recommends anyone who can to take advantage of it. The pro bono work that she did in law school exposed her to new and interesting areas of law: “It was great to help the community and learn about different practice areas. The organizations that the law school partnered with were all professional and passionate about the work they did.”

Audrey Ganley
Judicial Clerkship, Judge Julia Martz-Fisher, Frederick County Circuit Court

In her experience, Catholic Law's Criminal Prosecution Clinic was hands down one of the best experiences in law school. Audrey aims to have a career in criminal prosecution following her clerkship. In pursuit of this goal, she interned in Frederick County with Judge Richard Sandy during her 2L summer. The judge’s docket rotated relatively quickly; every couple of weeks she gained exposure to family, civil, and criminal law and assisted all the judges in some way. She loves being in the courtroom and cannot wait to get back there with her judge following graduation.

Kierra Giarrusso
Judicial Clerkship, Superior Court of Rhode Island

Kierra always knew she wanted to be a lawyer; she had a strong sense of justice from an early age and realized the best way to fulfill this would be a public service career. Her mother’s own career in public interest law inspired her, and she aspires to be a public defender after clerking. She is particularly interested in working in juvenile law. Kierra truly enjoys meeting people from different walks of life, hearing their stories, and knowing that something she does could help change the trajectory of their lives for the better. In undergrad and during her 1L summer, she worked for the Rhode Island Family Court Family Services Office. During her 2L summer, she worked for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Office of Legal Counsel. Following law school, Kierra will clerk for the Superior Court of Rhode Island, and in 2027-28 she will clerk for the Supreme Court of Rhode Island with Justice Erin Lynch-Prata.

Lorna Gilmore
Regulatory Counsel, NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association

The Rural Broadband Association represents 850 community-based broadband companies. One of those companies provided the internet at Lorna’s house growing up in southern Illinois. Through that connection, Lorna believes she had access to opportunities that would not have been available to her otherwise. Being on the other end, helping companies provide connectivity to the hardest-to-reach rural communities in America, has brought her full circle. Lorna worked with the NTCA while in law school, rotating through several positions. She started her career in fundraising, doing philanthropic work; while in fundraising, she worked closely with a policy team. She enjoyed the work and applied to Catholic Law’s part-time program largely because of the Law and Technology Institute (LTI). There are tangible things she learned in LTI that she uses in her job now. She felt lucky during her final year in law school to work largely in a law clerk role. “It’s a dream to have this job post-grad and to continue on with the NTCA.”

Sofia Giurgius
Charles F. C. Ruff Fellowship, District of Columbia, Office of Attorney General (OAG)

One of Sofia’s goals in law school was to complete as many internships as possible to determine the best fit for post-grad life. Sofia worked her 1L summer at the Committee on House Administration. During her 2L year, she worked at a family law firm. The following summer, she worked at the San Bernardino County Council. During her 3L fall, she participated in the law school’s Families and the Law Clinic. Sofia enjoyed the clinic and thought she would work in family law post-grad, but during her 3L spring, she interned with the Montgomery County State Attorney’s Office and fell in love with the work. Sofia was a 2L Class Senator and President of the Student Bar Association (SBA) during her 3L year. As a Ruff Fellow, she is looking forward to getting into the courtroom early in her career.

Natashya Hawley
Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office

Natashya remembers watching a documentary prior to law school about District Attorney’s offices, in which the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office was featured, and she was impressed and intrigued. By her 2L year, she knew she wanted to be a prosecutor and was applying up and down the East Coast. She remembered the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and then a Catholic Law alumnus came to speak, got her in touch with the office, and in her words, it was kismet. During her 1L summer, Natashya interned at the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. In the fall and spring of her 2L year, she worked for a court-appointed defense attorney; that summer and fall of her 3L year, she worked for a federal defense attorney and spent multiple days a week at the DC jail speaking with clients. Natashya also participated in the law school’s Families and the Law Clinic. In her words, “I really was passionate about advocating for victims and bringing justice to victims of crimes, and these offices like Philly have opened the door for a new generation of prosecutors who want to serve justice and be there for victims of crimes without adding to the mass incarceration of non-violent offenders. It's helping usher in a new era of prosecutors who want to do good and fulfill the rule of law and prioritize working for victims.”

Alexander Kagan
Judicial Clerkship, Chief District Judge Reed O'Connor, Northern District of Texas

Alexander taught middle school history in Dallas and worked in the Harvard Law School Religious Freedom Clinic before coming to law school. He dedicated his time in law school to serving others, including his fellow classmates. As the Federalist Society president, he provided mentorship to 1Ls and 2Ls. During his 1L summer, he interned with the New Civil Liberties Alliance. In his 2L fall, he externed at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. During his 2L summer, he interned at the Tallahassee Office of the Attorney General, on civil litigation and state constitutional issues. During his 3L year, he interned with the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Senator Chuck Grassley and assisted with the nomination and successful confirmation of Judge Jennifer Mascott.

Michael Kaiser
Judicial Clerkship, Judge Phillip Cronan, Talbot County Circuit Court

Michael worked in criminal defense prior to coming to law school. During his 2L spring, he participated in the law school’s Families and the Law Clinic, and during the summer of his 2L year and the fall of his 3L year, he interned with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. While in law school, Michael was the Treasurer of the Democratic Law Students Association. In that role, he organized an e-waste and battery recycling drive in partnership with the Environmental Law Society and tabled to inform voters of upcoming elections. As a 3L Senator with the Student Bar Association, he helped run the Thanksgiving Food Drive. Michael is graduating with a Securities Law Program (SLP) Certificate and a Comparative and International Law Institute Certificate.

Andy Lewis
Judicial Clerkship, Judge Kyle Duncan, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

One of the reasons Andy was drawn to Catholic Law was his interest in The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. He had always had an interest in the field, and during his 1L summer, he was able to work at the Fund with some of the best minds in religious liberty. He hopes to continue to perform religious liberty work in a pro bono capacity throughout his career following his clerkships. Attaining a federal clerkship had also always been a goal. In pursuit of this goal, during his 2L spring, Andy clerked for Judge Trevor McFadden of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. His commitment to the public sector and his community was felt throughout law school, as he helped other law students through mentorship and applications for clerkships under the Federalist Society’s umbrella. After graduation, Andy will clerk for Judge Kyle Duncan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Following this, Andy will clerk for Judge Justin Walker of the D.C. Circuit.

Rachael Phillips
Attorney, Department of the Navy, Office of the General Counsel (DON)

Rachael’s goal was to come to law school in DC to get a federal job. During law school, she interned with the U.S. National Science Foundation, the U.S. Coast Guard JAG Program, and the Department of the Navy. During law school, Rachael served as co-president of the Military and National Security Law Students Association (MNSLSA). She believes that MNSLSA provided different opportunities for students; Rachael got her 2L summer job through a MNSLSA connection and shared the opportunity with MNSLSA for the following summer. After graduation, the potential of working in different places and on different subjects with the Department of the Navy is exciting to her. “They work with you on whatever you have going on; everyone is friendly and wants to help you learn and be comfortable; there’s camaraderie in the offices.”

Jessica Potter
Assistant District Attorney, The Office of the Bronx District Attorney

Jessica earned a B.S.B.A in Finance with a minor in Economics and came to Catholic Law thinking she would work in Securities Law after graduating. During her 1L year, she took a Criminal Law class with Professor Cara Drinan and loved it. After her 1L summer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), she realized she was pivoting. She took more procedural classes in her 2L year and found she was interested in litigation, specifically criminal litigation. During her 2L spring, she interned with Judge Jason Park at the DC Superior Court on a first-degree felony docket. During her 2L summer, she worked in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Both positions solidified her interest in litigation, as did taking Trial Practice in the fall of her 3L year. She started applying to District Attorney’s offices up and down the East Coast, received multiple offers, and was ultimately excited to be closer to family in New York. She recommends 1Ls join Phi Alpha Delta (P.A.D.), as P.A.D. members can participate in Mock Trial during their first year.

Andrea Quinan
Judicial Internship, Judge Marin Greene, Fairfax County Circuit Court

Andrea worked in the private sector as a legal assistant and paralegal before law school; as a result, she knew in law school that she wanted to focus on public service. During her 1L year, she joined fellow law students for spring break as a pro bono volunteer on the Texas-Mexico border. During her 1L summer, she worked in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and participated in The Fund for American Studies Summer Law Fellowship program. During the fall of her 2L year, she worked at the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. After accepting an offer for the competitive 2L Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) with the U.S. Department of Justice, the hiring freeze led to SLIP offers being rescinded. Andrea pivoted with grace and instead interned during her 2L summer in the Court of Federal Claims with Judge Armando Bonilla. During the spring of her 2L year, she participated in the law school’s Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic. After the hiring freeze was lifted during her 3L spring, she joined the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Torts Branch, Aviation Space & Admiralty section. Andrea gained pro bono experience during her 1L spring with the DC Bar Pro Bono Center Advice and Referral Clinic, and as a 2L, she volunteered with the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network Clinic. She contributed to her law school community as a member of the Pro Bono Advisory Board, a Teaching Assistant for Professor Roger Hartley, a Research Assistant for Professors Stacy Brustin and Natalie Swenson, and an Ex Corde Fellowship Student Coordinator for the Center for Law and the Human Person. She hopes to continue to do pro bono work after graduation.

Thomas Rea
Honors Attorney, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of the Chief Counsel

During his 2L summer, while Thomas was at the U.S. Board of Contract Appeals, the Board encouraged him to start applying widely for post-graduate positions. He applied to post-grad employers that summer, focusing on government contracts. Thomas had worked as a government contractor in undergrad and gained in-house experience at the same company during his 1L summer. In his 2L year, he was on The Catholic University Law Review, and in the spring of his 3L year, Thomas participated in the law school’s Religious Liberty Clinic. Thomas is graduating as an Ex Corde Fellow. He and his wife welcomed a baby girl in early May. The family will be moving after the bar, and he looks forward to jumping right into specializing in government contracts, employment, real estate, environmental, and administrative law.

Jasmine Rountree
U.S. Department of Justice, Honors Attorney Program

Community service has been a central part of Jasmine’s life ever since she was a child. She started mentoring others at a young age and would go out into the community to hand out food with her church. Her undergraduate school’s motto was to get outside the bubble and into the community. When she came to law school, the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) was looking for someone to fill a community service role, and this fit her personality perfectly. As president of BLSA, she continued this focus. After graduation, Jasmine looks forward to getting back to her hobbies and to life. She has been with the Department of Justice (DOJ) for 10 years. She is excited for the mentorship with the DOJ in her new role. She is excited to soak up the knowledge.

Taylor Talley
Officer, U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp

Taylor was heavily involved in her law school community throughout her time at Catholic Law. She was president of Phi Alpha Delta, co-president of the Military and National Security Law Students Association (MNSLSA), Co-President of the Family Law Society (FLS), which she helped create together with Kierra Giarrusso; Vice-President of Financial Affairs for the Student Bar Association, and a member of the Pro Bono Advisory Board. As PAD president, she organized law students to participate in a Ronald McDonald House Charities run. In MNSLSA, she helped organize Toast our Troops. With the FLS, she managed a drive for My Sisters Place in partnership with the Italian Law Society. The two groups obtained over 100 items to donate to a Domestic Violence shelter. Taylor was also heavily involved in the broader community during law school. She volunteered with the DC Bar Pro Bono Center Advice & Referral Clinic during her 2L year. During her 2L and 3L years, she volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for Children of DC and inspired the law school’s Pro Bono & Public Interest Career Counselor to sign up as a CASA as well. During her 3L year, she volunteered with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project and participated in the law school’s Spring Break Service Trip. During her 1L summer, Taylor interned with the U.S. Army JAG. During her 2L summer, she interned with the U.S. Navy JAG in San Diego, CA. During the spring of her 2L year, and fall and spring of her 3L year, she participated in the law school’s Families and the Law Clinic.

Christian Trowbridge
Judicial Clerkship, Judge Francis Jones at the Superior Court of Delaware

Christian came into law school with an open mind. He knew he had the skills that would lend themselves well to a career in the law, but was not sure what that career would look like. His journey throughout law school has been to explore as many practice areas as possible, which led him to the Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic, where he represented an individual in an asylum hearing. Following law school, Christian will clerk with Judge Francis Jones. He has a 2028-29 judicial clerkship with the Delaware Supreme Court.

Jared Vallejos
Honors Attorney, Federal Communications Commission - Space Bureau

Jared came into law school wanting to do anything involving space law. During his 2L spring and summer, he worked in the Mobility Division of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He loved the position; it was unique and gave him experience in seeing how everything is interconnected, but he kept his eye on the space bureau. He is excited for the training the FCC will provide over the next two years to refine the skills he learned at Catholic Law and at AST SpaceMobile. He is excited to be at the forefront of rulemaking that will define the future of telecom over the next 30 years. While in law school, Jared was co-treasurer of the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA), Vice President of the Space Law Society, and President of the Law and Technology Student Association (LTSA). He says this of his experience at Catholic Law: “The law and tech practicum course gave me the tools to succeed at the FCC. I felt that, from every professor and alumnus I spoke with, help was available. Catholic Law alumni Kathleen Kirby and Julie Kearney (Kearney founded the Space Bureau at the FCC), and Professors Faulb, Halley, Hoffarth, and Perez all made themselves available, wanted me to succeed, and gave me all the tools I needed to succeed; students just have to ask.”

Sarah Webster
Judicial Clerkship, Judges Maria Lanahan and Sarah Pitlyk, U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Missouri

Sarah taught elementary school in the South Bronx for 5 years prior to Catholic Law. This set the foundation for her understanding of the privilege of attending law school. During her 1L summer, she interned with the Senior Judges of the Montgomery County Circuit Court. She enjoyed being in the courthouse and had a very supportive faculty who made sure, over her law school career, that the opportunity to work in federal court was something she considered. During the spring and fall of her 3L year, she worked at the law school’s Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Clinic. Sarah is excited to use her degree to serve the country and her judges in the fall. In her words, “Throughout the last three years at Catholic, my professors and staff have encouraged and demonstrated what excellence looks like; while it includes academic excellence, it also includes serving the larger community. It’s a commitment to improving yourself and to becoming a better person.” Sarah will be clerking for Judges Maria Lanahan and Sarah Pitlyk, U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Missouri. Following her clerkship, Sarah will join Squire Patton Boggs.

Reagan Yeatman
Judicial Clerkship, Justice Irma Raker, Supreme Court of Maryland

Reagan is looking forward to learning a great deal next year as a law clerk to Senior Judge Irma Raker. He has always been drawn to the government and the public sector. During his 1L year he talked with an upperclassman during a lunch event hosted by the career office. They shared about their experience at DC Water and how it had been a great opportunity for government and in-house experience. Reagan worked at DC Water his 1L summer through the fall of his 2L year. During the spring of his 2L year he worked at the General Services Administration and obtained experience doing FOIA work. He continued to gain experience in the public sector with a 2L summer internship at the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) with Judge Vergeer ‘93. While there he enjoyed working for multiple judges; gaining exposure to a wide range of matters. The Office regularly held events spotlighting judges or clerks to highlight various career paths. For his 3L fall Reagan interned with the Chesapeake Legal Alliance and was able to explore work in environmental law.