The incoming class at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law this fall consisted of 272 students, including 212 Juris Doctor (JD) students, 18 Master of Science in Law (MSL) students, 17 Master of Laws (LLM) students, 15 students in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Policy (MPP) programs, 6 exchange students and Visiting Scholars, and 4 Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD) students. Visit McGeorge’s website for a full entering class profile of the JD program.

The 272 newest McGeorge students represent an impressively diverse group, coming from 119 colleges and universities across the United States and around the world. Their international representation spans 16 countries, including Afghanistan, Austria, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, India, Iran, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Uganda, and the United States.

The incoming class speaks 29 languages, bringing a wide range of backgrounds with varied life experiences that enrich the community and enhance the learning experience at McGeorge School of Law.

This diverse group brings a wide range of experiences, including careers in the California Community Colleges, advocacy, education, a double tiger, and more. These varied backgrounds enrich our community and enhance the learning experience at McGeorge School of Law.

Meet Sweeta Seddiqi Azimi ’26, LLM Program

Sweeta Seddiqi Azimi ‘26 loves being an LLM student at McGeorge. She is a first-generation law student concentrating her legal studies in Transnational Business Practice.

“I love all of my classes, especially the Immigration and Transnational Business class,” she said.

She wants to work in the federal government or the United Nations.

“I always wanted to go to law school,” she said.

According to her, there were several reasons why she picked McGeorge.

Azimi grew up in Afghanistan. She was born in Kabul and lived north of there in Badakhshan for a couple of years and then moved back to Kaul to graduate from high school. She then attended law school at Isteqlal University. After graduating, she moved to Germany to earn her master’s degree.

She said her journey had a lot of ups and downs, so she didn’t get here easily, but she is here and that’s what matters.

“I had hundreds of thousands of problems, obstacles and challenges that I had to pass to get to where I am right now,” she said. 

Meet Sonal Darber ’25, LLM Program

Sonal Darber grew up in Mumbai, India. She began studying law in 2017 at Rizvi Law College, which is affiliated with Mumbai University, earning her license to practice law in India in 2020. Darber is pursuing an LLM in Transnational Business Practice at McGeorge School of Law and will graduate in December.

“Becoming a lawyer has been my dream since childhood,” she said. “I come from a community where women are not encouraged to pursue higher education, work outside the home or travel independently.”

She is a first-generation student who decided to study law to stand up for herself and for others.

“My mother never went to school, and my father studied only until the third grade,” Darber said. Because of that, I had very limited guidance throughout my academic and professional journey and I had to figure things out on my own.”

She is the first lawyer in my family and her community as well as the first to travel abroad to pursue a master’s degree. According to her, the experience has been overwhelming, life-changing, exciting, and motivating all at once.

“This is my first time away from my family, my first time traveling abroad, and my first time studying in such a diverse classroom,” she said.

She said in India, she already has numerous commercial clients so her degree will help her expand her cliental further. Adding that if she returns to India, this specialization will allow her to attract more international and commercial clients.

“When I explored McGeorge’s website, I was impressed by the videos, the diversity on campus and a webinar I attended with Assistant Director, Graduate and International Programs, Adriana Aguena, who left a strong impression on me,” she said.

Additionally, she was offered a generous scholarship so McGeorge seemed like the perfect choice in a law school.

“I feel grateful for the opportunities I have received, and I hope my journey inspires other students especially women from underrepresented communities to pursue their dreams fearlessly, no matter the challenges,” Darber said. “On multiple occasions, my plans failed, but each time they were replaced with better opportunities.”

Meet Daniel Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel ’28, JSD Program

Daniel Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel ‘28 said his time at McGeorge School of Law so far has been “awesome.”

He said the campus is engaging and interactive with McGeorge students, so he has enjoyed his time on campus this semester.

“There is an engaging academic community here; there is always a lot going on. I’m excited to be here,” he said.

Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel is originally from Nigeria. He worked at a couple of banks there and later left the banking industry to pursue web development in 2001. He taught himself the latest technologies, designed his own website and started a tech company.

After that, he started a tech magazine in Africa called Digital Africa. According to Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel, that venture took him to South Africa where he moved his business from Nigeria.

He then began business magazines called Business Edge and Jozi Weekly. He then worked for CMBC and Paramount Africa, as the distribution manager. He also worked for Walt Disney as the senior manager of expansion and was the head of content at Iflix. Additionally, he launched his own ebook platform, Edgebooks, trying to digitalize books in Africa.

Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel said he went to law school to help him with his business. He attended Regenesys Business School in South Africa, where he obtained an MBA degree. He then went to law school at the University of South Africa, graduating in 2021 cum laude with a Bachelor of Law degree. After that, he moved to Texas and received a LLM degree at Texas A&M University School of Law in 2023.

“I heard good news about McGeorge, and I wanted to be in this program so it is a good fit for me,” he said. “I also always wanted to move to California.”

He said he is still focused on technology; doing international studies in biologicals in different countries to see how he can learn development in forms of access. Adding that he sees a lot that needs to be put in place in the world, so he is looking at a synchronized approach and his contribution to achieving that is key.

Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel said this semester his classes are going very well. He is able to formulate new research and hopes to strengthen the legal framework in the areas of technology with no disparities.

“I am able to form different perspectives and build on my writing skills,” Oluwagbemiga Ben-Daniel said. “McGeorge was the perfect choice for me, and it is amazing to be here.”