Sense of justice

Annalisa Batanides

Annalisa Batanides

Professional school: Law

Anticipated graduation year: 2014

What is your best experience on campus? “Last spring I co-chaired the Environmental Law Society's annual Environmental Law Symposium. We reached out to lawyers, policy-makers, and experts in California and invited them to come speak at King Hall on the current and future state of public transportation in California. It was an exciting day of discussion and debate over sustainable transportation.”

What do you hope to be your legacy here at UC Davis – what marks have you made or changes that you hope will continue? “I hope I have made some positive changes on campus as an undergraduate and law student here at UC Davis. As an undergraduate, I worked with professors to make lab buildings more energy efficient, worked on campaigns to get buildings on campus LEED certified, was part of a collaborative effort of student organizations to reduce the campus's carbon footprint, and helped organize environmental awareness events. As a law student, I work to organize educational and informative events on pressing issues, work with numerous legal organizations on environmental law and policy, and research what I see as important legal questions, such as the role of animal welfare in existing environmental legislation.”

Tell us about one person at UC Davis who has enhanced your life or your work? “I never thought I would have any chance to pursue my interest in animal welfare until I met Professor Tannenbaum, a professor at the UC Davis law and veterinary schools. He enhanced my life and work as a law student by awakening my passion for animal law, taking the time outside of class to provide me with extra research and contacts on the subject, and providing oversight and supervision for an animal law paper I was excited to write. He is one of the many inspirational professors I have been lucky enough to get to know here as a UC Davis student.”