Elizabeth Adler ’14

J.D. Candidate, University of Virginia School of Law

Elizabeth Adler’s primary reason for attending law school is simple. “I want to help people,” she said. “We have an obligation to address the systemic inequalities that impact the most vulnerable communities – particularly low-income people of color.” The first-year law student at the University of Virginia is pursuing a career in public defense or reproductive justice.

When reflecting on her MFS experience, she cites Quaker values as a significant influence on her life. “Equality drives my commitment to social justice, and community gives us the support and energy to lead meaningful lives,” said Elizabeth.

She earned her B.A. from UVA in public policy and leadership in 2018. During her undergrad years, she served as a campus tour guide on the venerable Charlottesville campus as well as a guide at Monticello, making history more accessible to visitors from all backgrounds. She also worked as a Communications Intern at the U.S. House of Representatives in the summer of 2017.

Prior to entering law school, she worked on Senator Claire McCaskill’s re- election campaign in St. Louis and as a speechwriter in Washington, D.C.

“I would not be the writer I am today without the amazing faculty in the MFS English department, whom I think of often whenever I annotate a great new novel,” said Elizabeth. “I also have MFS to thank for instilling in me the importance of friendship; I am lucky to still be in touch with some of my best friends from high school.”

My MPE Memory (2012): “My friend Dante Bucci ’14, with whom I always clashed politically, but jovially and respectfully as well, was Newt Gingrich. Jon Huntsman (represented by Joe Kiernan ’13) won the Republican primary, which is fascinating in retrospect. MPE is such a unique event, and it promotes education on the issues and a degree of respect for the people who share views that one disagrees with.”