As young as Ayda Mirafshar can remember, she wanted to be a lawyer. Unsurprisingly, one of the inspirations for this lifelong dream was that her great-grandfather was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Iran. Ayda and her family immigrated to the U.S. from Tehran when she was five. She has lived most of her life in Los Angeles, which she now considers home. 

Ayda attended UCLA for her undergraduate studies, earning a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. “UCLA was fun, and I learned a lot. However, the level of intensity is nothing compared to law school,” explained Ayda. “I couldn’t simply cram the night before and still get A’s like I did during undergraduate school. Law school required studying every day to master the information.” 

When it came time to choose a law school, Ayda took the recommendation of several attorney friends who were alumni of the University of Los Angeles (UWLA) School of Law. “I decided to enroll at UWLA because I just felt it was the perfect place for me to receive my law degree,” stated Ayda. “It is the best decision I have ever made. The education I received was exceptional. The professors are very experienced and always available.” 

This is not to say that Ayda’s law school journey was all smooth sailing. “I started law school during the Covid-19 pandemic,” shared Ayda. “So, all my classes were on Zoom. I didn’t meet my professors or classmates in person until years later. But I made the most of it and gave it my all. I lived, ate, breathed, and slept in law school. I enjoyed the journey so much because it was something I wanted to do and a goal I was determined to achieve.”

Ayda was a student mentor in UWLA’s mentor program, helping offer other students support with legal writing and other substantive material on the bar exam. 

Ayda found UWLA’s courses and curriculum were the best preparation for the bar. Bar prep was just a quick refresher. “If you don’t have a strong foundation in law school, bar prep won’t be sufficient,” explained Ayda. “There’s just not enough time to learn all those subjects in two and a half months of bar prep.”

Once completing her studies, Ayda graduated with her Juris Doctor in 2023. Honored as the Speaking Salutatorian of the graduating class of 2023, she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She received several awards, including the Justice Bernard S. Jefferson Awards for Academic Excellence, having earned the highest academic grade in subjects such as Evidence, Civil Procedure, Business Associations, Community Property, Remedies, and Advanced Legal Writing. And in a testament to her determination, preparation, and hard work, Ayda passed the California bar exam on her first try, which is no small feat. 

Today, she is an attorney at KMFM and an adjunct law professor at UWLA. Her goal is to be a trial attorney in the Personal Injury field, and she hopes one day to open her own practice. She plans to keep teaching to give back to future law students, sharing what she was taught and giving them the help and encouragement she received as a law student.

Ayda greatly appreciates her many professors at UWLA, crediting them for her great experience at the School of Law. “The professors I admired most were Dean Frykberg, who instilled confidence in me; Professor Zand, who taught me to be the hardest working person in the room; and Professor Mancini, who was the professor I went to with any and all questions or problems,” stated Ayda. “Professor Schwartz taught my favorite class, Evidence, which is infamous for being the toughest subject in law school. At first, I was intimidated by the class, but in the end, I excelled in the course. Professor Schwartz personally asked me to mentor his evidence class once I finished the course, which I did in my third year as a law student, and my mentees all did well. There were many others I admired as well.”

When asked what advice she would pass along to anyone considering UWLA, Ayda was adamant. “Go after your goals and dreams!” she concluded. “I loved attending UWLA so much, I convinced my sister to join the School of Business.”