And she’s paying it forward: Hollis works to connect students with alumni mentors and professors through her role as faculty and alumni co-chair for Law Students of African Descent, and serves as a mentor herself for fellows with the Startup Law Initiative, one of the school’s Student-Initiated Legal Services Projects.

The program pairs 1Ls with law firms to provide free legal incorporation services to low-income Bay Area startup founders and local entrepreneurs. Hollis saw a perfect outlet for learning to use the law to increase opportunity and accessibility for underrepresented entrepreneurs.

That rewarding experience opened other doors: through the group, she worked with an education technology company founder under the supervision of a startup and venture capital lawyer. Following her 1L year, Hollis snagged a summer gig working at Gunderson Dettmer as a 1L Diversity Fellow, gaining more valuable exposure to emerging companies and venture capital law.

She is also interested in corporate governance, particularly the movement toward greater ethical consciousness in the boardroom known as ESG (for environmental, social, and governance matters). Hollis has steadily built her knowledge base as submissions editor of the Berkeley Business Law Journal and through the law school’s wide range of classes on the subject, including Business in Society.

“I found that it tied closely to my passion for problem solving and understanding how both companies and government actors may work together to create efficiency, fairness, and inclusivity while keeping shareholders and stakeholders in mind,” she says.

Hollis has found purpose in a different side of the law school, too: She sits on the Faculty Interview Committee, a panel of students that gets to evaluate potential professors as they move through the hiring process.

“Interviewing and sharing my perspective on future faculty who will shape Berkeley Law’s community has been a superb experience,” she says.

Hollis’ many facets continue to help her get the most out of law school while staying true to the ideals she started with.

“It’s given me more training to work with a range of individuals in different capacities when interpreting the rules of law or when advocating for changes in law,” she says. “These activities allow me to envision different ways that I may leverage my legal training to advance inclusive and healthy communities — through sustainable and equitable solutions — while increasing diversity in both the legal and business sectors.” — Gwyneth K. Shaw