Home town: San Francisco
Undergraduate Degree: B.A., Political Science, Sociology, UC Davis 2006
Career Interest: Criminal Prosecution

Alice Cheng had always had an interest in law, but it wasn't until she participated in the King Hall Outreach Program (KHOP) during her sophomore and junior years at UC Davis that she realized that a top-tier legal education was a real possibility for her.

Through KHOP, an innovative law school preparation program designed to increase participation among economically disadvantaged and traditionally underrepresented groups, she was able to meet King Hall faculty, staff, students, and legal professionals, learn about the application process, and explore what a career in law could mean. Just as important, she came to believe that at UC Davis School of Law she would find the environment she needed in order to succeed.

I knew that law school would be stressful, so I wanted to find a place where I felt like I had the support necessary to succeed, she said.  I also wanted a diverse place with an active student body and lots of activities to choose from. Unequivocally, I have found King Hall to have what I was looking for.

Cheng joined the Law School student body in 2007 with a sustained flurry of activities including participation in the Asian Pacific American Legal Students Association  and the Retention, Recruitment, and Outreach Committee, working to help other KHOP participants as a King Hall Outreach Program Mentor, and testing her skills in the Carr Competition mock trial contest. All of these experiences were important, but the Carr Competition and Appellate Advocacy (Moot Court) class proved particularly helpful in offering her the opportunity to refine her oral advocacy abilities skills she hopes to put to the test as a criminal prosecutor.  

"I want my degree to give me the power to help others," said Cheng. "Growing up in San Francisco, I thought that criminal activity was normal, because it was a constant presence. Children should not have to face such a reality. I hope that I will be able to help victims of crime and to enforce the law so that our communities are safe."