Lilian Macancela, Class of 2020

Lilian Macancela.

 

Graduation Date

May 2020

Major

Legal Studies

Minor

Italian

Hometown

Queens, NY

Extracurricular and Experiential Activities

Congressional Intern at U.S. Senator Gillibrand’s Office; Judicial Intern at Buffalo City Court; Bilingual Tutor for K-6 at Frank A. Sedita Academy; Phi Alpha Delta (Professional Law Fraternity). I am also a Resident Advisor at UB and enjoy making educational bulletin boards for my residents to see. Last summer I was a camp counselor in Italy through a volunteer program that was recommended to me by a UB professor.

What have you liked best about your experience in IDP so far?

My experience in IDP has been the highlight of my college career. Each semester, I look forward to the plethora of classes I can take and am excited to learn about different academic disciplines. I really enjoyed being able to combine my interests within IDP: political science, sociology, and law.

What has been your favorite class to date?

My favorite class has been Race, Law, & Society with Dr. Lulat. He taught the course using the Socratic method, which was intimidating at first but appealed to me since I am interested in going to law school. He had high expectations for everybody, and taught the material with an unwavering passion. I looked forward to going to class because I knew I would leave feeling inspired.

What advice would you give to an incoming UB student?

Never be afraid to go for it!  So many doors will open for you, you just have to be willing to put yourself out there, even if it is outside of your comfort zone. You’ve made it this far, keep going and everything else will fall into place.

What accomplishment are you most proud of so far during your time at UB?

I am most proud of winning a Nancy Welch Award from Campus Living. My coworker and I created a program with the goal of cultivating an atmosphere where college students could discuss sex education. The program was also meant to de-stigmatize sexual health and to address any misconceptions about hookup culture. Our hall director nominated us for this award, for which 3 programs were chosen for the year.

What are you hoping to do in the future?

I hope to pursue a law degree. I would like to eventually work as a legal counsel to advise government agencies to enact more equitable policies in the education sector.

What is one fun fact about you?

I have way too much Twilight Saga merch.