Class of 2016 Joins King Hall

The UC Davis School of Law Class of 2016 formally began studies on August 26, bringing an infusion of diverse talents, backgrounds, and interests to the King Hall community.

The Class of 2016 is a varied and accomplished group. Fifty eight percent of the students in the new class are women, and people of color constitute 38 percent.  Students in the class have a median score of 162 on the LSAT and a median GPA of 3.55.

Besides many graduates of the University of California system, the students hail from a diverse range of undergraduate institutions including Duke University,  Columbia University, the University of Michigan, the University of Southern California, Boston College, Dartmouth, and City College of New York, as well as Renmin University (China), York University (England). Members of the class list 17 different home states.

Many in the new class have experience in law, having worked as clerks in law firms or performed judicial externships. A substantial number have volunteered with organizations such as the Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, the Western Law and Poverty Center, Habitat for Humanity, California Rural Legal Assistance, and Amnesty International. 

A few highlights selected from the narrative profiles submitted by members of the Class of 2016 to the School of Law include:

• David Canela is a graduate of UC Berkeley, where he was a member of Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education and By Any Means Necessary, tutored high school students, and was active in local elections. He is an alumnus of the King Hall Outreach Program (KHOP) and the author/editor of several educational resource guides for undocumented youth.
• Growing up in California, Eduardo Ramirez Castro worked as a farmworker. As a student at California State University, Sacramento, he earned membership in the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honors Society and the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. He has worked as an English tutor for multilingual students, volunteered with the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic's naturalization workshops, and worked as a paralegal in an immigration law firm. He is a recipient of the UC Davis School of Law Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship.
• Ruby Chung has worked as a mechanical designer for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Team of Pratt & Whitney, Rocketdyne and published an article on metallic nanocomposites in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. She is a graduate of UCLA, where she was involved in recreational martial arts and served as alumni advisor and secretary for Tau Beta Pi. She has also served as the regional chair of the California Student Association of Community Colleges and as a volunteer at a Los Angeles Animal Services shelter.
• Bianca Dueñas is a recipient of the UC Davis School of Law Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship. A graduate of Stanford University, her experiences include working as a paralegal for the U.S. Attorney's Office, teaching second grade on a military base in Hawaii as part of the Teach for America program, and volunteer work with California Rural Legal Assistance and East Palo Alto Stanford Academy. She has been married for five years and has a daughter.
• A former Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Ken Havens spent two years in Okinawa, Japan and was deployed with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. A native of Atwater, California, he earned his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. His wide-ranging work experience includes employment as an air traffic controller, carpenter, metal worker, rock climbing instructor, archery coach, and piano teacher.
• Amy Kim is a graduate of Duke University, where she majored in International Comparative Studies, minored in Cultural Anthropology, and received a certificate in Markets and Management Studies. She was a Social Entrepreneur Corps sustainable business intern in Guatemala, a congressional intern for U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, and a business development and events intern with Radio Korea. She has also volunteered for Duke's Alternative Spring Break, participating in NCH's Homeless Challenge Project in Washington, D.C., and served as a fundraising coordinator for Vision for North Korea's human rights screening.
• Jose Mafnas, a graduate of Chaminade University of Honolulu, is a Chamorro-a descendent of the indigenous people of the island of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). He worked in the CNMI Superior Court as a probation officer in the felony division and later served the Governor and Lt. Governor as the Coordinator for the Military Integration Office and the Military Liaison for the Marianas Region.
• Abigail Mulvihill is a graduate of UC Davis, where she earned degrees in Psychology and Communication and membership in many academic honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa. She also served as a peer counselor for UC Davis students, offering one-on-one mental health support, and worked for the Center for Public Policy Research conducting research on the experiences of foster care children. She is an avid runner and has coached high school soccer on the South Side of Chicago.