Skip to content

Isabel Zagazeta: From Toronto to Tampa, Building a Future in Law

Isabel Zagazeta: From Toronto to Tampa, Building a Future in Law

Isabel Zagazeta is a 3L J.D. candidate and Dean’s Fellow at Cooley Law School in Tampa, Florida. Originally from Canada, she earned her undergraduate degree at Wilfrid Laurier University before moving to Florida to study law at Cooley. She has earned book awards, served on Law Review, mentored incoming students, and was part of Cooley’s Moot Court team that recently won first place at the 2026 Robert Orseck Moot Court Competition. With a passion for legal writing and healthcare compliance, Isabel is building a strong foundation for a future in law at Cooley.

Read More
  • High Performance In These Two Classes is Best Predictors of Bar Success
    High Performance In These Two Classes is Best Predictors of Bar Success

    High Performance In These Two Classes is Best Predictors of Bar Success

    The recent National Jurist article called What it takes to pass today's nasty bar exam didn't surprise Cooley Law School Professor Mark Cooney. Not one bit.

  • Chanelle Manus: Playing the Field in the NFL and Sports Law
    Chanelle Manus: Playing the Field in the NFL and Sports Law

    Chanelle Manus: Playing the Field in the NFL and Sports Law

    Cooley graduate Chanelle Manus grew up watching a lot of sports on TV, mostly because she knew that was a great way for her to spend time with her dad. He was very interested in sports, and she always wanted to be just like her dad.

  • Judge Janice Cunningham – A Catalyst for Change
    Judge Janice Cunningham – A Catalyst for Change

    Judge Janice Cunningham – A Catalyst for Change

    We live in turbulent times that often try our patience and make us wonder what could possibly be next. But under the choppy surface waters of daily life, good people are going about the business of making change — for the good. They ignore that which detracts from their mission while steadily moving toward their goals. Eaton County 56th Circuit Court Judge Janice Cunningham is one of those steadfast crusaders. Cunningham, a long-time Cooley adjunct professor, was the second judge to sentence disgraced sports medicine doctor Larry Nassar.

  • Building a Better FBI Agent
    Building a Better FBI Agent

    Building a Better FBI Agent

    John Mallul (O’Hara Class, 1983) was born and raised in Detroit. His father worked at the local Cadillac car plant as a machine repairman on the factory floor for 44 years. As much as his father never was in jeopardy of being laid off or let go, Mallul and his family felt the devastating effect the troubles in the car industry had on the city of Detroit.

  • One Man’s Mantra: Work Hard, Study Hard, Give Back
    One Man’s Mantra: Work Hard, Study Hard, Give Back

    One Man’s Mantra: Work Hard, Study Hard, Give Back

    At just two years of age Ahmed Salim moved with his family from their homeland in Pakistan to the United States, into the south suburbs of Chicago. Salim’s parents wanted what every other immigrant family wanted – a better life for their children.

  • Emily Horvath: Advocate for the Unconventional
    Emily Horvath: Advocate for the Unconventional

    Emily Horvath: Advocate for the Unconventional

    Cooley Law School is not cut from the same cloth as traditional law schools; rather it’s fashioned to be a little unconventional—like many of our students—providing the structured flexibility other law schools can’t.

  • Ken Wyniemko — Never Giving Up, Never Giving In
    Ken Wyniemko — Never Giving Up, Never Giving In

    Ken Wyniemko — Never Giving Up, Never Giving In

    Nine years can be a relatively short time, or a very long time, depending upon circumstances. If you’re raising a family, nurturing your children and watching them grow, it can whip by in a flash. If you’re in prison for a crime you didn’t commit, it would drag on, second by miserable second.

  • Weekend Law Student Reese Kewin: Single Mom of Six Pursues Dream of Law School at 46
    Weekend Law Student Reese Kewin: Single Mom of Six Pursues Dream of Law School at 46

    Weekend Law Student Reese Kewin: Single Mom of Six Pursues Dream of Law School at 46

    Reese Kewin is not your average law student. In fact, there’s nothing average about her. At 46, and starting law school, Reese knew that a “huge life change was ahead,” not only for her, but for her six children.

  • Larry Nolan: It is through your faith and your faith tests that you grow
    Larry Nolan: It is through your faith and your faith tests that you grow

    Larry Nolan: It is through your faith and your faith tests that you grow

    Cooley Law School 1976 graduate, Board Chair, and State Bar of Michigan President Lawrence P. Nolan was the keynote speaker for the Cooley law student Christian Legal Society this month. He shared with the law students and guests how when tested in your career, by a client or in a case, you can use your faith to get through it. This blog originally posted on April 7, 2017, on our old blog site.