Hi everyone! My name is Yasmine Ramachandra (she/they) and I am a student in the MSL full-time residential format; I also serve as the MSL representative for the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA). I have a background in Biology and Biochemistry, and I hope to pursue policy work in reproductive justice and criminal justice organizations after I complete my MSL degree. When I first looked at graduate programs, I knew Northwestern’s MSL would be a good fit for me because of the diversity within the program. I also knew I wanted to engage with people who shared my cultural background, and that’s why I was eager to become the MSL representative for SALSA. Since I was selected, I’ve helped plan events, talked to prospective students, and spoken to many other South Asian law students to share advice and just spend time with another.

Northwestern Law has a diverse array of affinity groups, and these groups have an opportunity each year to showcase their students’ backgrounds at the annual Global Village law school event. Because of the pandemic, the event moved to an online format this year, but that didn’t stop the Global Village steering committee from proceeding as it always does to provide diverse individuals and groups with an opportunity to host a table, do a demonstration, and/or perform via recorded Zoom events. The committee also put together an interactive flipbook that incorporated the schedule and fun facts about each affinity group.

As the MSL representative of SALSA, I was involved in planning SALSA’s Global Village table. Our group wanted a way to share some of our favorite South Asian recipes, movies, music, etc.; rather than do a demonstration from just one category, we were able to provide a virtual care package with recommendations related to multiple aspects of South Asian culture. We shared Bollywood movies, restaurants in Chicago, playlists, and recipes. We also wanted to showcase the people in our community who are artists, leaders, and activists, so we shared information about relevant social media and organizations.  Global Village participants were able to stop by our “table” for a walkthrough of the virtual package; we also made the package available through a link via Zoom’s chat function. We hope that the Northwestern Law community takes time outside of Global Village to utilize these resources, to learn about our culture, and to try new things from our suggestions.

South Asia is so diverse in itself. It is the birthplace of four major religions, is comprised of 7 countries, has over 650 languages, and almost 1.9 billion people. We know the virtual care package we prepared is not exhaustive – we encourage folks who would like to learn more to continue to explore the wide variety of cultures within South Asia to understand their histories and traditions. As a call to action, we’d like our NLaw community to support local South Asian efforts to bring visibility to our communities and uplift our voices through advocating for immigration reform, healthcare justice, and language access.

As an MSL student, it was important for me to find communities within the law school that represent my identities. I am grateful for the support and love I found in SALSA. I urge other students to find their people and create spaces to share experiences.