Arielle Kallan

DePaul University alum Arielle Kallan’s career pathway was far from conventional. From researching period poverty to co-founding the Women of Color Pre-Law Association, Arielle has shown her compassion and persistence in fighting for the communities she cares about. Now a law student at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, she shares her journey, as well as what’s next, in this Honors Highlights interview.

You presented research at the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) conference in Chicago. How did your research experiences through the Honors Program contribute to your academic and professional development?

The research that I presented at the National Collegiate Honors Conference in Chicago was the culmination of a thesis I had been steadily developing for years. It began early into my sophomore year in a public health inequity honors class. I realized the topic of period poverty, and accordingly, a lack of menstrual education, was an area of research that still needed to be explored. I wrote multiple papers on the topic, presented my research at the National conference, and went on to write my senior thesis: Failing Young Menstruators: The Need for Comprehensive Menstrual Education, which was published in DePaul’s Journal for Undergraduate Scholarship. I am grateful I was granted numerous opportunities to develop my passion further.

You also served as the Vice President of DePaul’s Women of Color Pre-Law Association. What did your involvement with the organization look like, and what did you take away from that experience?

My friends and I co-founded the Women of Color Pre-Law Association (“WOCA”) because of the disparities we faced as women of color entering the Law field. As the vice president, it was my responsibility to invite new students to join and organize our weekly meetings. It remains one of my proudest accomplishments that I was able to contribute positively to a community of women I heavily resonate with. I can only hope that WOCA will continue to stand for years to come (and it has under the presidency of Seyi Akinmusire and most recently, the new president Anisha Saxena). 

Could you tell me a little bit about your journey from the DePaul Honors Program to law school, and what initially sparked your interest in pursuing law? 

I have been committed to pursuing law since the 2016 presidential election. I grew up in the rural suburbs, and being surrounded by apathetic people made me realize I wanted to develop a set of skills to help as many minorities as possible. Knowing I wanted to pursue law prior to undergrad helped me, as I was a Political Science major and took as many Law-related classes as possible. 

What area of law do you hope to pursue, and what drew you to that area?

I am interested in pursuing Public Interest law. Of course, that is an umbrella term for an entire field of law that is directed towards representing marginalized communities and causes. While I have not yet pinpointed where in the field I would like to work, I am confident this is the field I am meant to practice in. Though I had considered going into Big Law, my career goals have nothing to do with protecting corporate interests.

Were there any courses, professors, mentors, or opportunities from the Honors program that had a lasting impact on you or influenced your career goals?

Most notably, I took Immigration Law with Professor Arnold, Law and Sexuality with Professor Burgess, and an Introductory Law class taught by Professor Alberto Coll. These classes mirrored the same classes I took in my first year of law school and gave me a deeper understanding of how to interact with the law. I have always been itchy to take the classes that connected directly to what I am passionate about, which in turn influenced my desire to go into Public Interest. 

I understand that you took some time between graduating from DePaul University and beginning law school. What did you choose to do during that time, and how did that experience shape your decision to attend law school?

I definitely had an unconventional path to law school. I took a gap year and moved back to my parents’ home, where I commuted back to Chicago to keep working at a law firm. During my time off, I studied for the LSAT and turned in my law school applications. It was a nice break to not be in school and rest my brain before I went back full time. After my first year at UIC Law, I transferred to Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where I will be completing my legal education. Every choice that I made, through undergrad and beyond, has led me to the present. I am grateful for it all!