Cooley Law student Sukayna Almusawi received a $3,500 scholarship from the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation, sponsored by Masco Corporation.
By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News
Sukayna Almusawi knew from the age of 14 she wanted to be a lawyer—yet many people insisted she would not succeed, not only because she is a woman, but also because she wears the hijab.
“I heard things like ‘No one is going to hire a girl to fight for them,’ ‘No self-respecting man is going to come to you when he needs help,’ and ‘It’s a man's job,’” she says. “I let it get to me.”
She started undergrad at Wayne State University with a goal of medical school, but changed her mind in her last semester. With undergrad degrees in in political science and government; and in psychology, Almusawi feels she brings the skills of being a good talker—"one of the things I was known for as a child”—and she also loved the legal profession for what it represented—justice, integrity, professionalism, and power.
“All of which I knew I can easily represent,” she says.
While her father was unhappy at her drastic change of career path, her mother told her to follow her dreams—“And that if this is what makes me happy, then I should definitely do it. But she did ask me why I suddenly changed my mind. The only thing I could say was ‘The children, mama, I want to save the children.’”
Her change of heart came immediately after Almusawi watched a documentary about Gabriel Fernandez, the 8-year-old boy in California, abused and tortured over a period of months before dying from a beating by his mother and her boyfriend.
“I knew I wanted to be a prosecutor. I want to work on child abuse and neglect cases. I want to give these children hope and a sense of safety,” Almusawi says. “If I fix the life of one child, if I rid them of a fraction of their pain, they will grow into compassionate people. I think that makes the world a better place. These children will be tomorrow's adults.”
Almusawi was one of three 2024 Cooley recipients of a $3,500 Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation scholarship, and is a Masco Corporation Scholar, sponsored by Masco Corporation.
Almusawi serves as a senator for the Student Bar Association, is a former vice chief justice of the Cooley Moot Court, current vice president of the Organization for Women Law Students, a general body member of the Cooley Environmental Law Society and the Cooley Health Law Society; and is also a member of the Women's Law Association of Michigan and the National Arab American Bar Association.
She would like to spend her first decade of legal life in public service, in prosecution or with the Attorney General's office. After that, she would like to join the private sector and work in the field of personal injury and/or estate planning.
“I believe the possibilities are endless and there is absolutely no harm in getting a taste of every field I enjoy throughout my life,” she says.
“The good thing about a law degree is that it’s flexible, I can change the field whenever I want.”
She currently is getting a taste of working in prosecution as a Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM) intern at the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office.
“It’s such an exhilarating job but also very traumatizing,” she says. “Good thing I have all summer to figure out if this is what I would like to do after graduation.”
Although Almusawi hopes to become a prosecutor, conversely, she has worked at several expungement fairs, spending hours doing pro bono work to help people clean up their records.
“I firmly believe there aren't really bad people, there are people who do bad things,” she says. “Occasionally you come across a human that is evil beyond what the human mind can tolerate—those people don’t have a chance to expunge their records. But everyone else deserves a second chance or a clean slate.
“Most of the people I encounter can’t drive due to petty marijuana crimes from the 80s. Mothers who can’t chaperone their kids' field trips because they had a marijuana charge from 15 years ago. These people cleaned up their act. Some crimes are not crimes any more—why are they still paying a hefty price for these mistakes? It’s true they are not imprisoned, but they are still restricted from doing so many other things everyone else can do freely. I feel the requirements are pretty straightforward and fair. I also meet wonderful people at every one I attend.”
She also enjoys assisting at Ask-A-Lawyer events, where people in underserved communities are given 30 minutes of free legal advice; and at community events where people in need are provided with resources for shelter, food, school supplies, clothing, legal assistance, job opportunities and more.
Legal News
Sukayna Almusawi knew from the age of 14 she wanted to be a lawyer—yet many people insisted she would not succeed, not only because she is a woman, but also because she wears the hijab.
“I heard things like ‘No one is going to hire a girl to fight for them,’ ‘No self-respecting man is going to come to you when he needs help,’ and ‘It’s a man's job,’” she says. “I let it get to me.”
She started undergrad at Wayne State University with a goal of medical school, but changed her mind in her last semester. With undergrad degrees in in political science and government; and in psychology, Almusawi feels she brings the skills of being a good talker—"one of the things I was known for as a child”—and she also loved the legal profession for what it represented—justice, integrity, professionalism, and power.
“All of which I knew I can easily represent,” she says.
While her father was unhappy at her drastic change of career path, her mother told her to follow her dreams—“And that if this is what makes me happy, then I should definitely do it. But she did ask me why I suddenly changed my mind. The only thing I could say was ‘The children, mama, I want to save the children.’”
Her change of heart came immediately after Almusawi watched a documentary about Gabriel Fernandez, the 8-year-old boy in California, abused and tortured over a period of months before dying from a beating by his mother and her boyfriend.
“I knew I wanted to be a prosecutor. I want to work on child abuse and neglect cases. I want to give these children hope and a sense of safety,” Almusawi says. “If I fix the life of one child, if I rid them of a fraction of their pain, they will grow into compassionate people. I think that makes the world a better place. These children will be tomorrow's adults.”
Almusawi was one of three 2024 Cooley recipients of a $3,500 Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation scholarship, and is a Masco Corporation Scholar, sponsored by Masco Corporation.
Almusawi serves as a senator for the Student Bar Association, is a former vice chief justice of the Cooley Moot Court, current vice president of the Organization for Women Law Students, a general body member of the Cooley Environmental Law Society and the Cooley Health Law Society; and is also a member of the Women's Law Association of Michigan and the National Arab American Bar Association.
She would like to spend her first decade of legal life in public service, in prosecution or with the Attorney General's office. After that, she would like to join the private sector and work in the field of personal injury and/or estate planning.
“I believe the possibilities are endless and there is absolutely no harm in getting a taste of every field I enjoy throughout my life,” she says.
“The good thing about a law degree is that it’s flexible, I can change the field whenever I want.”
She currently is getting a taste of working in prosecution as a Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM) intern at the Ingham County Prosecutor's Office.
“It’s such an exhilarating job but also very traumatizing,” she says. “Good thing I have all summer to figure out if this is what I would like to do after graduation.”
Although Almusawi hopes to become a prosecutor, conversely, she has worked at several expungement fairs, spending hours doing pro bono work to help people clean up their records.
“I firmly believe there aren't really bad people, there are people who do bad things,” she says. “Occasionally you come across a human that is evil beyond what the human mind can tolerate—those people don’t have a chance to expunge their records. But everyone else deserves a second chance or a clean slate.
“Most of the people I encounter can’t drive due to petty marijuana crimes from the 80s. Mothers who can’t chaperone their kids' field trips because they had a marijuana charge from 15 years ago. These people cleaned up their act. Some crimes are not crimes any more—why are they still paying a hefty price for these mistakes? It’s true they are not imprisoned, but they are still restricted from doing so many other things everyone else can do freely. I feel the requirements are pretty straightforward and fair. I also meet wonderful people at every one I attend.”
She also enjoys assisting at Ask-A-Lawyer events, where people in underserved communities are given 30 minutes of free legal advice; and at community events where people in need are provided with resources for shelter, food, school supplies, clothing, legal assistance, job opportunities and more.
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