While studying Political Science at Illinois, AMANDA BRADY ZIFFRA (BA ’08) was President of the Women's Lacrosse Team and spent time studying abroad in both Greece and Curaçao.

After finishing her undergraduate degree, Amanda went straight to law school to pursue a joint-degree JD/MBA program with Chicago-Kent College of Law and Stuart School of Business. Upon graduation, Amanda began work at a firm that handled securities litigation but gradually moved more toward the business side of law. Naturally, she was able to utilize her legal and business education to advise growing companies on their contracts and during various steps of the contract negotiation process. Currently, Amanda works as a commercial counsel for Slack.

Amanda encourages students to study Political Science at Illinois because it provides a strong foundation in logic, reasoning, and analytics – skills that she uses every day. Amanda also advises current students to make the most of their experience at Illinois, recognizing their professors as invaluable resources to help them grow. She hopes students will truly “step outside their comfort zone” by engaging in class and building relationships that will later benefit them beyond their years at Illinois.

Ms. Ziffra can be reached at amanda.c.brady@gmail.com.