Chris Young

Yali High School 2009-2011, Law Clerk to the Honorable Lance M. Africk, U.S. District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana

Originally published August 2017

Where do you currently work and what does your job entail?

I am currently serving as a law clerk to Judge Lance Africk on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. I have a broad range of duties covering both civil and criminal matters, including conducting legal research, preparing memos on various legal topics, drafting orders and opinions, communicating with counsel regarding case management, and procedural requirements and assisting Judge Africk during court proceedings.

Did you consider graduate school over the Fellowship? If so, why did you choose the Fellowship?

I did not consider graduate or professional programs at the time I was considering the Yale-China Fellowship. I knew that the Fellowship was what I wanted to do. It was only during the Fellowship, in fact, that I seriously began to consider the prospect of pursuing additional studies.

Do you see the Fellowship in your life today? If yes, how so?

I absolutely see the Fellowship in my life today and credit it for much of what my life has become. The language and cultural fluency that I acquired during the Fellowship led directly to the two jobs I held immediately after the Fellowship, the first teaching middle school introductory Mandarin Chinese in Boston and the second as an international admissions officer in Hong Kong. Both of these jobs were only available to me because of the Fellowship. Moreover, it was during the Fellowship that I first began to consider pursuing a career in law, and it was while working in Hong Kong post-Fellowship that I actually decided to pursue it. Most importantly by far, however, is the personal joy and enrichment I continue to feel in my life due to the Fellowship, from the incredible friends that I made to the connection that I made with a particular Chinese national in Boston-he is now my husband.

What would you say to a Yale graduate nervous about teaching?

If you are nervous about the possibility of becoming an educator, then y ou are just a normal human experiencing the right emotions. Teaching is an awesome responsibility—and an incredible joy. It is also a job that—with a good attitude, work ethic, and support network—one can learn to do. You will have the support network. If you have the good attitude and work ethic, then you will be unstoppable.