Adriana (Addy) Aguilera interned at Michigan Radio and spent four years in the University of Michigan Figure Skating Club.
– Photo courtesy of Addy Aguilera
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Law student Adriana (Addy) Aguilera earned her undergraduate degree in communications and psychology from the University of Michigan, where she interned at Michigan Radio.
“I’ve always been interested in people—what upsets them, what motivates them and especially how technology can impact that,” she says. “I thought the two majors were a good pair.
“I’ve wanted to go to the University of Michigan since I was about 12 years old,” she adds. “My mom is from outside of Flint so I grew up a Michigan fan.”
A figure skater from the age of 4, Aguilera spent four years in the University of Michigan Figure Skating Club, and served as the club’s social media chair. Her favorite memory is of going to Nationals with the team in California in 2015.
“Joining the club was one of my best decisions in undergrad,” she says. “I was on the fence about whether I wanted to keep skating in college and I’m so glad I did—I can honestly say I met some of my best friends through the club.”
While law school was always in the back of her mind, an undergraduate class about Internet Law solidified her decision to take the LSAT and apply to law school.
“That class sparked my interest in the intersection of technology and the law,” she says.
Aguilera recently completed her 2L year at Wayne State University Law School, and is a member of the Hispanic Bar Association.
“It’s really nice knowing there’s a community of people that look like me and have had similar experiences,” she says.
Aguilera, who hopes to work after graduation at a firm in the electronic payments or privacy and data security practice groups, appreciates the law school’s location close to downtown Detroit, and experiencing what the city has to offer.
“There’s always something going on or new restaurants to try,” she says. “In addition, Wayne Law has a robust alumni network and a great reputation in the community.”
Aguilera was a summer associate at Jaffe Raitt Heuer & Weiss in Southfield, a position she earned through the Wolverine Bar Association.
“I really enjoyed my time there because I got to work on a variety of different assignments from summary disposition motions to e-discovery,” she says. “I also had the opportunity to write a blog post about the then-recent Supreme Court decision in Carpenter v. U.S.
“All of the attorneys I worked with were great people, in addition to being great attorneys, and I grew very close with my summer associate class. I’m looking forward to going back to Jaffe for a few weeks this summer.”
Aguilera recently finished an externship at Crain Communications where she learned about different types of corporate contracts and what life is like in an in-house setting.
A native of Glendale, Ariz., where her mother is a registered nurse and works for the state in the Division of Developmental Disabilities, Aguilera now makes her home in Detroit, where she still enjoys figure skating, for recreation.
“I’m a prospective accountant with U.S. Figure Skating so I stay involved in the sport volunteering my time at competitions,” she says.
