Heshan Cui is a J.D. candidate at Santa Clara University School of Law (Class of 2027). She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Laws in Social Work from Beijing Institute of Technology. Prior to law school, she served for several years as a Legal Advocate at AACI Asian Women’s Home, where she supported survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, particularly Asian immigrant women, by providing legal assistance, community education, and policy advocacy. She also represented her organization in legislative meetings with California State Senators and Assembly Members to advocate for stronger protections for vulnerable workers and survivors. In addition to her advocacy work, she has conducted research on the gendered division of labor, the legal system’s response to intimate partner violence and substance abuse, and broader social welfare policies at the University of Michigan and Beijing Institute of Technology, resulting in several articles published in peer-reviewed Chinese journals.

This past summer, she interned with the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office in the Labor and Employment Team, and she currently serves with the Workers’ Rights Clinic at the Katharine & George Alexander Community Law Center. At Santa Clara Law, she is an Associate on the Santa Clara Law Review and a Board Member of the Galloway Moot Court. She aspires to a career in civil litigation, focusing on civil rights and employment law.