You are the president of Boyd's Black Law Students Association. Please tell our readers about the organization's summer and plans for the year.  

The Black Law Students Association’s extracurricular year started early. I must shout-out the herculean effort so far from this year’s executive board. Our summer consisted of attempting to bring the Boyd community together during contentious moments. We focused our effort on organizing a remembrance vigil honoring Black lives lost to unwarranted police violence, holding two discussion forums predicated on police reform and social justice rights

You have a BA and a MA in history.  When did you discover your love for the subject?

I cannot remember a specific moment, but as early as I can remember, I have always loved history. When I was a kid, I loved watching history channel documentaries and playing historically themed video games. From there, learning about the subject in school only sparked my interest further. I would say that by the time I got to high school, I was confident that I would be studying history in college.

If given the opportunity to have dinner with any figure from history (yep, staying on theme), who would you

Tell us about your teaching experience prior to law school.  

After graduating from BYU, I taught fifth and sixth grade in Utah County. While there, I directed the school choir and taught several kids how to beatbox. I also enjoyed going out to recess every day to play basketball, kickball, and four square. I love working with kids, which is why I still volunteer with Kids’ Court School at Boyd and teach music to children aged three to eleven at my church. 

You are the president of Boyd's J. Reuben Clark Society. What has the group been up to this year?

Our weekly discussions give us the

You were born in Brazil. Do you still have ties there?

Yes. My aunt, uncle, cousins, and their children and grandchildren are all in Brazil. I also have my daughter's godparents and many friends. The only people I have in the U.S. are my mom and my daughter Kailah, who was born here. 

What are you most excited to do once our "stay at home" life is a thing of the past?

A wise man said, "I drink, and I know things." Once this stay-at-home, social distancing life is behind us, I would like to have a drink with my friends and be able to practice law and put the things that I have learned in law

Dr. Praveen Saran is a third-year student at the Boyd School of Law and a licensed physician who has been serving on the front line of the current public health crisis.

You were a collegiate heptathlete. How did you become a heptathlete, and which of the seven events was your favorite?

I actually did not begin competing in the heptathlon until my junior year at Purdue, when our amazing multis’ coach asked if I would be interested in giving the heptathlon a shot because he felt that I had a lot of potential for success in it. I primarily ran sprints and sprint relays prior to my foray into the heptathlon,so there was a bit of a learning curve to say the least. I would say my favorite events were the 200 meter sprint and long jump. The 800 meter run?? Not so

What are your memories of immigrating to the United States as a child? 

I was very young at the time, so I don’t really remember much. What I do recall is how much my parents sacrificed coming to an unknown country. While we didn’t have a lot growing up, my parents always sought what was best for me and my siblings. Their struggles and love are definitely ingrained in my brain and have been the biggest motivators in my life.

You have considerable experience working in the law firm environment, prior to law school and while a part-time law student, right?

I’ve been working in the law firm

Prior to law school, you had some involvement in the Raiders' move to Las Vegas. Tell us more.  

I majored in economics in college and had the exciting opportunity to intern for Jeremy Aguero [Boyd ‘04] at Applied Analysis following my junior year. I worked on a lot of interesting projects and did some extremely interesting analyses, but being involved with the Raiders project was far and away the highlight of my summer. Applied Analysis presented potential funding options for the public-private partnership between our government and the Raiders to build what is now Allegiant Stadium. Put

Dance has been a big part of your life. Tell us more.

I miss dancing every day and wish I could still do it! But even though I can’t be in a ballet studio everyday like I used to be, dance and the arts have remained important to me. Dance provided me with so many life skills that I think have helped me become successful. Of course, I learned the value of discipline and hard work. But most importantly, dance gave me a family and taught me how important and rewarding true teamwork can be. I still like to apply those values to life now.

You are Student Liaison to the Boyd's Alumni Association

You did an epic hike of the Appalachian Trail. Give us the highlights.

Six months, 2156 miles, all uphill. My trail name was “Popsicle,” because I almost froze to death. The first of many times I almost died. Got lost in nighttime fog so thick I couldn’t see my feet; was followed by a bear in the Smokies (also at night); nearly lost an eye in the Hundred-Mile Wilderness; contracted Lyme disease. The biggest lesson I learned is that its hard to die, so take a few chances. Also, a person can live off Kraft Mac n’ Cheese indefinitely.

And you were a table games dealer here for some time before