“On moot court, most of the other members weren’t transfer students. And I saw my teammates six hours a week,” Lobisser says. “So you’re with them all the time, which was great, because it was a way to build relationships. Competing with Berkeley people made me feel like, ‘OK, I belong here, I’m part of this school, too.’’’

Lobisser’s team also found success, winning the regional American Bar Association Appellate Advocacy Competition and advancing to nationals.

“Representing the school in a competition and succeeding was super gratifying,” she says. “It’s definitely something I will always remember.”

For Lobisser, who came to Berkeley Law with an eye toward litigation and business law, joining the journal was a perfect complement. She’s co-editor-in-chief this year with classmate Savannah Dowling, which helped smooth the transition to in-person learning at last.

“It kind of catapulted me into the school, which I’m really grateful for, because when I came in person we had to start recruiting and there was a lot to do,” she says. “And Savannah has been super helpful, since she already knew so much about Berkeley Law.

“I definitely feel a lot more at home now.”

Berkeley Law’s social justice components were another draw for Lobisser, who already had a passion for public interest work. As an undergraduate, she went on a medical mission trip to Ghana, where she saw firsthand the challenges of grassroots public health work, and also spent a month teaching third grade in Peru.

She credits Berkeley Law for helping her see the intersections between the law, society, and its institutions — and for helping to foster her sense of future direction.

“It’s been so formative in making me realize that the law is so much bigger than me,” she says. “Berkeley has totally changed the way I think about the world, and also my role in the world.”

Lobisser says she’ll value the relationships she has built with professors and peers— both virtually and in person — forever.

“Being around such like-minded people who have these amazingly complex and deep thoughts about the world has been incredible,” she says. “Going out into the world, I know I have this network of not only knowledge from my classes, but also of people who share that same knowledge and passion.”

— Gwyneth K. Shaw