Hillary Shah

Humans of YJA: December 13, 2023

“Know your why and hold onto it.”

Being raised in the suburbs of Texas, I caught the bug of community action at a very young age when I saw the impact it made around me. At 17, I started organizing within my school district, leading protests and negotiating with the superintendent about issues regarding gun violence prevention. From there, my passion for community action never stopped.

I realized I wanted to pursue a career in public service as a lawyer after years of civic engagement and community organizing work during college. When you are an organizer, you have to follow a set of rules and norms without much control over changing them. I also noticed that a majority of the lawyers I worked with during that time did not have a background in community organizing. I wanted to better understand the law and use it to advocate for issues I was passionate about.

What truly changed my life was being awarded the Truman Scholarship* during my senior year of college. After a rigorous application process, I was selected as one of two recipients in the state of Texas. As the most prestigious award for those pursuing careers in public service, this was a huge stepping stone for me both because of the validation of my work in public service, and through the resources and mentorship opportunities it opened up for me.

But, if you had asked me 10 years ago if I could have predicted where I am today, I would have never guessed. I thought I would end up in tech as that was the main pathway my family and I were familiar with. The presence of the South Asian community in the public interest law space is incredibly small, and even smaller for Jain women. However, I soon discovered that this presence was small but mighty. Through YJA, I was able to gain the mentorship of Hetali Lodaya and Mishi Jain, who also work in the realm of public interest law. Another major stepping stone was during my junior year of college. I participated in the Washington Leadership Program, a national nonprofit dedicated to developing the next generation of American leadership from the South Asian community. The program’s goal was to help South Asians pursue careers in public service through internship placements and a leadership curriculum in DC. Now, as a second-year law student at the University of Pennsylvania, I have found my community within the South Asian Law Student Association.

My passion for Jainism has been a motivating factor in my journey to become a lawyer. Jainism reminded me how important each and every life is and how crucial it is to think about what we as a community owe to each other through seva and ahimsa. My goal is to be in a position to be able to make an impact on the public good. If you plan on pursuing public interest law or any career in public service, I encourage you to know your why and hold onto it. Public service is tough work. For South Asians, it can be lonely work. But, it is fulfilling work. Knowing what you want and why you are going into this field of work is crucial to have the impact you envisioned.

— #HumansofYJA, 12: Hillary Shah

Key:

• *Truman Scholarship — “The Truman Foundation identifies aspiring leaders…and recognizes and rewards their commitments to careers in public service.”
• *Seva — selfless service without an expectation of getting something in return
• *Ahimsa — non-violence

The thoughts and opinions expressed in each post belong solely to the individual highlighted in the story. YJA does not endorse any of these viewpoints, but is simply using this project as a platform to showcase the diverse experiences of the youth in our community.

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