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.
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Sometimes it’s just serendipity when life takes you where you didn’t know you wanted to go. That’s how third-year Cooley Law School student Danielle Lofton might describe how she finally found the career path meant for her.
Melanie White has always had an interest in equal justice for all. After learning that her mother had taken the LSAT and was accepted to the Detroit College of Law, Melanie’s yearning for the law grew stronger. It stems from her strong feelings and interest in wanting to make sure people are treated fairly, with respect, and with justice.
Arturo Alfaro came to law school in a very non-traditional way, as a Spanish language certified interpreter for the state of Michigan. His first assignments found him working in the Oakland County Circuit and District Courts.
#FromWhereIStand is an op-ed forum allowing a voice and stance for our Cooley community of family and friends. Law student Sarah E. Shirley (April 2020) writes about the requisite need for diversity in law school for a better world.
When Dinah Lynch applied to law schools, Cooley was her first choice. The decision was an easy one for her. She had looked at other schools in Michigan, but none offered classes that allowed her to work around her schedule. At Cooley, Lynch was able to start classes around 6:00 p.m., in their evening program, and keep her full-time job as well as all benefits. That was very important to her.
Sometimes you know exactly what you want to do as a career growing up, but most of the time you need to try things on for size. For Cooley Law School student Helen Khouli, law school wasn't the first shoe she tried on.
Cooley student Lanita Carter and her two sisters grew up in the Detroit area under the strong influence of her mother, their role model and inspiration. As a young girl of a single mom, Carter remembers always wanting to help the family. She wanted to make sure she was doing her part. So much so that she started working in the ninth grade.
When Rosston Lloyd Ramsey was born, his parents chose his name because they thought it sounded “judicial” and befitting of their hopes that he would someday be a judge. Today, as Ramsey prepares to graduate from Cooley Law School’s Auburn Hills campus, he is getting closer to fulfilling his parents’ desires.
Taking on the world is something Cooley Law School law student Ashley Hart is not afraid to do. In fact, it's in her blood. She not only feels the need to help others, she wants to make sure she is at the table in making policy decisions on their behalf.
