An update from mentee Camille Van Kote

On Friday 11/18 I met with my mentor, Ashley Kelly, a 3 year associate at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. I waited in the firm’s lobby on the 35th floor of an impressive dark building, which was overlooking Manhattan. It was a crispy but beautiful day so the view was quite incredible. I met up with Ashley who brought me to a nice Mexican restaurant called Pampano on 3rd and 49th street. Over lunch, we talked about her first jobs upon graduating college,  her law school experience at Brooklyn Law School, her time as a clerk back in New Mexico where she comes from as well as her current position in the law firm. It was interesting for me to understand her background and to hear about her personal experiences as I am interested in attending Law School. We also talked about her Barnard College years as she reminisced about the places she used to go to around Morningside Heights, her college friends, the Marching band she was a part of and so on. It was great to be able to connect with another Barnard student even though she graduated in 2004. A lot of things have changed but there is an essence about the Columbia University environment that makes it special. I really enjoyed meeting with my Mentor and look forward to seeing her at the fireside chat !