Making the case
Devika Narendra strides confidently to the front of the room as the lead counsel in a Mock Trial court case in Los Angeles. She locks eyes with the presiding judge and members of the jury as she begins her opening arguments.
A Hollywood stuntman doing a harrowing motorcycle act has died during the making of a film. Narendra represents the man’s family, who accuses the movie company of negligence. As part of the UO Mock Trial team, she’s up against student lawyers from Yale University.
With a firm voice, Narendra commands the room and makes a series of sharp legal points as she builds her case. She picks up momentum, carefully and methodically laying the groundwork to win the case. The jurors hang on her every word.
Narendra, a Clark Honors College senior who is graduating with a degree in economics and a minor in legal studies, has made dozens of opening arguments in her time as a mock trial team member. But she chuckles when she thinks about how far she has come since she was a kid.
“There’s no way I would’ve pictured myself standing up there in front of people and talking forcefully,” says Narendra, who credits the Honors College for helping her hone her voice. “I was a very shy kid. I didn’t talk to anyone other than my family. But when it comes to advocating for someone or having a strong opinion about something important, I was able to find my voice.”
Devika Narendra
Hometown: Portland
Major/Minor: Economics; Legal Studies
Coffee or tea: Coffee!
Song on repeat: “Writing’s On The Wall” by Role Model
Favorite experience from the CHC: Competing with the UO Forensics Team
Thesis title: “Supply and Demand in Organ Donation: An Economic Analysis of Incentivizing Kidney Transplants”
Advice for incoming first-years: Get involved on campus and join different clubs. This is the perfect time to branch out and try new things!
This summer, I can’t wait for: Spending time with my family.
I’m grateful for: The friends and teammates I’ve met through UO Mock Trial; my college experience would not have been the same without them.
Next steps: Law school
The legal experience on her résumé would be the envy of any law student. She was an intern at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. She spent time working for a Portland law firm that specializes in family law and civil litigation. And she worked locally for then-U.S. Congressman Earl Blumenauer in Oregon.
Add to that several internships in finance, including working with JP Morgan Chase and OnPoint Credit Union, and it’s apparent that Narendra has a significant amount of experience in the fields she loves.
“I just hate not being busy,” she says. Even when we are out of school and there are three months in the summer with no structure, I have to make sure I build my own. I just love working with people. And I love learning from them.”
An only child, Narendra recalls a childhood where her parents pushed her to have a solid work ethic. Her mother, Monika Davare, recalls how people outside the family didn’t know how she would turn out.
Davare says her parents lived nearby and helped with childcare.
“My mom is a very friendly person and sometimes she and the neighbors would have long conversations and she would have these long conversations in the front yard while Devika was there,” Davare recalls. “They thought she couldn’t hear or speak because she never said anything. She would just stand there and listen to adult conversations. And then at home when no one was around she would tell us about everything that was said.”
Davare says Narendra became more confident and outgoing in middle school. By the time she arrived at the Honors College, Davare says, “she had become a thoughtful and mature young woman with a strong sense of justice. She is comfortable with herself and others. I don’t know a better orator, and we are very proud of her.”
At the CHC, Narendra focused the bulk of her time on her coursework. Majoring in economics, she says, helped her to better understand the world around her. “It has just enough math that it carried my interest,” she says. “My classes showed me how to gauge what is really happening when tariffs hit and how to understand the political implications when it comes to the economy. I’m a more knowledgeable person because of my classes.”
She also managed to find time for mock trial where she could practice and apply what she’s learned to the courtroom. Her teammates saw her as an integral part of the competitions at UCLA, Berkeley, and the University of Washington. She also helped mentor others who were new to mock trial.
Trond Jacobsen, UO’s director of forensics and a CHC senior instructor of information science, oversees the mock trial team. He says he always knew Narendra would do well because of her work ethic.
“She arrived as one of our most promising students, and she has exceeded that promise many times over,” he says. “She is a remarkable leader, a great student, and will undoubtedly thrive in law school and make enormous contributions to her profession and to our communities. I look forward to learning of her future successes and societal impact.”
During the current academic year, Narendra applied for admission to 25 law schools across the U.S. She says she will choose soon between Boston University for its reputation and its location in a big, East Coast city, and Colorado Law in Boulder for its proximity to the outdoors.
She sees herself in the future becoming a corporate lawyer or working for the government in the legal arena. Regardless, she is looking forward to the grueling work that comes with being in law school.
“I’ve always been intellectually curious about the law,” she says. “The current state of the world makes me want to learn about it even more. Whatever I do, it will have to be something that provides a service to people and it will have to be something that is intrinsically related to how the world affects people for the better.”
