2022/2023 Team

Kira Szewczyk (she/her) is a fourth-year Philosophy major, with a minor in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern studies. As Co-President, Kira hopes to foster a community of inclusion, organize informative events throughout the year, and support members in their pre-law journeys. This is Kira’s fourth year working on the executive team. She is passionate about advocacy and law reform due to her experience in law enforcement and internship with the Access Pro Bono Society in the Summary Legal Advice program and Tribunals program. She is working towards her dream to pursue a legal career post-grad and practise family or criminal law.

Ashley Kam (she/her) is a fourth-year student pursuing a combined major in philosophy and economics. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, Ashley aspires to attend law school whereafter she plans on practicing competition law. Her determination to pursue law stems from a young age and has since then only grown, as she continues to gain more insight into this field through participating in Mock Trial competitions, watching trials at local courthouses, attending UBC Pre-Law events, and as cliche as it may be, through watching shows like Suits and How to Get Away with Murder! In her spare time, Ashley enjoys playing volleyball, reading, and shopping. This is her fourth year on the Pre-Law executive team and she is looking forward to making this the best one yet for everyone!

Emily Kim (she/her) is a fourth-year Political Science Major and Commerce Minor student. Currently, she is most interested in criminal law and corporate law. Emily's interest in law comes from her passion to help marginalized individuals and remove systemic injustice. She also wants to emphasize the importance of ethics and justice in businesses. Emily is actively exploring the pathway to the legal career and is excited to share her ongoing journey. In her free time she loves to attend concerts and travel. Emily is looking forward to meet, support and grow with the Pre-Law community.

Sofia Ngieng (she/her) is a fourth-year Political Science major and English minor. Particularly interested in Indigenous politics, Sofia plans on pursuing a Masters degree before moving onto law school. Sofia is originally from Chilliwack, BC., but she has lived in Vancouver for the past three years. When she's not studying or working, she loves to read cheesy romance novels and go for hikes. Please feel free to reach out to Sofia directly with any Pre-Law Association related questions: externalubcprelaw@gmail.com

Vanessa Banasiak (she/her) is a fourth-year undergraduate student majoring in Political Science and minoring in Philosophy. She has been a member of the Pre-Law Association since her first year in 2019, and is now the current VP Sponsorship this year. Throughout the years, she has always been interested in the relationship between law and politics, and she aims to pursue a career in the legal field in the future. Most specifically, she is fascinated by the politics and legal implications of Big Tech and Intellectual Property law. Joining the UBC Pre-Law Association has been incredibly rewarding, and she hopes to further contribute to its success with the VP Sponsorship role.

Daniel Choi (he/him) is a third-year student majoring in International Relations and minoring in Law and Society. He developed an interest in law after taking a business law course in his first year of post-secondary studies at Douglas College; as such, he is interested in corporate law. He also has interest in Youth law (Youth Criminal Justice), which comes from his experience working with children at a local community centre. To familiarize himself with the legal field, Daniel regularly visits local court hearings, participates in Moot court competitions, and reads books about law and legal theories. During his free time, Daniel likes to jog, hike, play soccer, or read. As the VP Events for the UBC Prelaw Association, Daniel will work diligently with the rest of the executive team to plan and organize pre-law events that are informative, interactive, and enjoyable to all members.

Aya Darwash (she/her) is a third-year perusing a major in International Relations, and minor in Economics. This year, she is delighted to serve as your VP Events, and is excited to meet other like minded individuals also interested in law. At Pre-Law events, she can be found scrambling around in a pair of heels and is often at the bird coop in the middle of the day. Currently, she is interested in international law and other emerging fields of law -- but she loves how law is always evolving with time, so it is never a dull moment in the legal profession!

Matt (he/him) is a third-year BCom student, specializing in Finance & Business Law + History. As a history minor, his interest in law stems from a deep fascination with the English common law principles and procedures that form the basis of our commerce and our government today. Matt's time as an accountant in the audit field has caused him to form a passion for anti-money laundering in British Columbia. He hopes that the knowledge and expertise he builds at law school will enable him to help bring about the change called for in the Cullen Commission. Commonly spotted at Robson Square, his two favourite types of trials to watch are traffic and contracts. Outside of school, Matt loves riding motorcycles, woodturning, and evening walks with his (often wet and smelly) golden retriever on the river.

Mari (she/her) is a third-year student pursuing a combined honours in International Relations and Political Science with a minor in Law. She intends to take the LSAT before the start of her fourth-year and eventually practice cybersecurity law or entertainment law with a focus on intellectual property. Mari's other responsibilities include working as a Guest Service Officer at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and serving as one of the Logistics Coordinators for BC's only undergraduate moot court conference. She is, however, always on the lookout for more opportunities in the legal field, as her resume already places a strong emphasis on technology and business. In her free-time, Mari likes to explore local coffee shops and bake new recipes.

Lauren Maharaj (she/her) is a third-year Bachelor of Media Studies and Arts Co-op student, with a minor in Informatics. Besides her blossoming career in marketing, Lauren is particularly interested in furthering her career in the legal profession, with a strong interest in pursuing family law. As one of two VP Marketing Executives, she looks forward to connecting amazing individuals like yourself to existing opportunities in law, by sharing and promoting our annual events online. In the rare moments when Lauren's not working on her career, she loves to spend time exploring beautiful Vancouver and critiquing popular media.

Sophia Golnaraghi (she/her) is a fourth-year Kinesiology student at UBC in the Social and Behavioural Sciences stream. She has been a part of the UBC Pre-Law Association for 3 years and has fulfilled the Executive Assistant role for the past 2 years. An abundance of Sophia’s work experience has been in health care settings (with organizations like the Canadian Red Cross), and in legal settings with the Access Pro Bono Society of BC. Her passion for both the legal field and health care have inspired her to work towards a career as a medical malpractice lawyer.

Kritika Dave (she/her) is a third-year Commerce student, with a specialization in Accounting and Business Law. This is her first year on the UBC Pre-Law Executive Team, and she's excited to lend a helpful hand to ensure the smooth delivery of this year's events!

Olivia Butzelaar (she/her) is a fourth-year Marketing and Business Law student. This year, she is so excited to take on this role (again) and work to raise money and generate awareness surrounding causes that reflect the values of UBC Pre-Law!