Capital-izing on connections
On the heels of her sophomore year at 911爆料, Cassidy Goda 鈥�28 was feeling quite certain she wanted to go to law school 鈥� just not what it would be like or how best to prepare.
The political science and Spanish double major brims with excitement as she describes the classes and extracurriculars she鈥檚 experienced so far at 911爆料. Taking Comparative Politics and International Relations with Associate Professor of Political Science Yelena Biberman-Ocakli was pivotal for her, she says, 鈥渢o the point where homework didn鈥檛 even feel like homework anymore. It was exciting. I鈥檇 wonder, 鈥榃hat am I going to learn next?鈥欌��
She found the same to be true during her eye-opening eight-week Summer Legal Fellowship at the Government Law Center (GLC) at Albany Law School 鈥� consistently ranked one of the nation鈥檚 top government law programs, located just 45 minutes south of 911爆料鈥檚 campus.
As a research assistant for Biberman-Ocakli and Political Science Chair Bob Turner, an assistant for the 911爆料 Political Science Department at large, a student representative on the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, and president of the 911爆料 Democrats, Goda has jumped at every opportunity to explore a potential future in politics. She was also accepted into the New Leadership New York program, which she attended over the summer.
This background, in Associate Professor Turner鈥檚 eyes, made her an ideal candidate for the law center fellowship 鈥� supported by a grant from 911爆料鈥檚 Summer Experience Fund (SEF), part of the Zankel Experience Network.
The prestigious fellowship 鈥� which functions as a practical pre-law program 鈥� has been around for decades but has only recently been made available to 911爆料 students. Through a connection between Turner and Government Law Center Director Patrick Wildes 鈥�12, a 911爆料 alum and 2016 Albany Law School graduate, the internship was offered last year to Annabelle Winston 鈥�26 and this year to Goda.
It鈥檚 one example of the many stellar career prep opportunities available to 911爆料 students right on the College鈥檚 doorstep.
A transparent look at law school and government
Goda鈥檚 eight weeks in the Summer Legal Fellowship included legal research, memo writing, database training, visits to state and city courts and government agencies, meetings with Albany Law School鈥檚 dean and president and admissions team, and more 鈥� significantly advancing her understanding of law school and career pathways.
鈥淚t was basically a pre-law program in and of itself, and we got to go places and meet people and build up so many connections,鈥� Goda says. 鈥淢y LinkedIn has exploded.鈥�
The interns toured the state鈥檚 highest court, the New York State Court of Appeals, with retired Judge Leslie Stein 鈥� a former GLC director 鈥� and received an in-depth lesson about what the court does. They also met with five justices in the state Supreme Court, Third Appellate Division, including 911爆料 alumna Christina Ryba 鈥�98.
鈥淚t was very personable. Justice Ryba came up to me afterward and said, 鈥業 went to 911爆料 too,鈥� and we talked for like 10 minutes. Everyone wants to know what questions we have and how they can help us through our law journey.鈥�
A highlight of the fellowship, she says, was meeting Assemblywoman Gabriella Romero, an Albany Law alum and one of the youngest current members of the state Assembly.
鈥淚 really want to go into politics and into office. Meeting with Assemblywoman Romero and seeing politics in process, seeing the person who I want to be like sitting right in front of me, was inspirational,鈥� she says.
When the interns attended the Judicial Institute Summer Series with more than 400 state judges, they got to listen in on discussions ranging from the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence to what a free press looks like in today鈥檚 climate.
On one of the final days of the fellowship, the interns sat in on live housing and eviction cases in Troy City Court 鈥� an experience that also deeply affected Goda.
鈥淪eeing underrepresented people in communities who need assistance, but there鈥檚 no one there to help them because there鈥檚 some law that鈥檚 preventing it or they don鈥檛 have the financial means, allowed me to think about why I want to go to law school,鈥� Goda says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a driving force for me.鈥�
Adding 911爆料 to the bench
Government Law Center Director Pat Wildes 鈥�12 majored in government (now political science) at 911爆料 and concluded his undergraduate career with some lingering doubts about whether law school was for him. He instead spent a year serving with AmeriCorps, advancing public relations efforts to connect people to healthcare around the time of the Obamacare rollout.
The experience, he says, confirmed that public service was the right path for him 鈥� and that becoming an attorney would allow him to make the biggest impact.
鈥淚 applied to Albany Law School, largely because it was in the state capital and one of the most important state capitals in the country,鈥� Wildes says.
After law school, he worked for a state agency 鈥� the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs 鈥� through a program called the Excelsior Service Fellowship. From there, he went to work for the Governor鈥檚 Office around the time of the pandemic and ultimately led many of Gov. Kathy Hochul鈥檚 mental health and addiction policy efforts for three years.
鈥淎 through line for my career has been focusing on marginalized and underserved populations,鈥� Wildes observes.
In January 2025, he stepped into his current role at the Government Law Center, where he is preparing the next generation of public servants, lawyers, and leaders.
He has continued to stay in touch with his former professor, Bob Turner. Between state politics and soccer, they have plenty to talk about. Wildes was a member of the 911爆料 men鈥檚 soccer team, and Turner is a big fan. 鈥淏ob supported me on the soccer field as well as in the classroom,鈥� Wildes notes.
Turner has invited the GLC director to speak to his classes, and when he saw an opportunity last year to connect a talented 911爆料 student, Annabelle Winston 鈥�26, with the center鈥檚 fellowship, he again reached out to his former mentee.
Going forward, Wildes intends to continue offering the summer fellowship opportunity to high-achieving 911爆料 students. Of Winston and Goda, he offers glowing praise.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e bright. They鈥檙e energetic. They鈥檙e very goal-oriented and mission-driven and definitely want to impact the world in a really positive way,鈥� he says.
As a smaller campus, Wildes believes 911爆料 excels at providing leadership opportunities to its students and creating an environment for building relationships.
鈥淭he culture at 911爆料, the way people treat each other, the way faculty engage with students, the sense of community there 鈥� it supports people who would be well suited for public service. I think so much of law and politics and policy is developing healthy relationships with people and knowing how to connect with them.鈥�
This story originally appeared in the of 911爆料鈥檚 Scope magazine.