Student Spotlight: Shruti Kannan ’22

Shruti Kannan

Student Fellow, Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

What drew you to NYU Law?

NYU felt like a reflection of my life experience in a lot of ways: I was born abroad, spent time abroad growing up, and worked abroad before law school, so NYU's international focus appealed to me. I studied neuroscience and creative writing in college, so the fact that NYU takes an interdisciplinary approach to legal education was a perfect fit. Also, I often joke that I have more interests than I have time for, so I've loved that NYU has a fascinating program, class, or speaker everywhere I look—there's always something new to learn.

What unique opportunities has your fellowship provided?

My fellowship has given me the opportunity to explore areas that I've had past superficial interest in, but have never had the chance to look at in depth. My professors have asked for my opinions, feedback, and ideas on their work in a way that feels truly collaborative—it's a unique blend of academia and the professional world in that way because I'm doing research on my own, but am actively working with experts in the field. The fellowship is also a wonderful place to find other people who are as interested in a subject area as I am, so I've been lucky enough to make some great friends!

What has been your favorite law school class so far?

I really enjoyed International Human Rights with Philip Alston. NYU is a big school, but this class reminded me of my small undergraduate liberal arts education—Philip guided the discussion, but a significant portion of the learning came from exchanging ideas with peers.

Posted September 23, 2021