From Aria to Arbitration:

“It started because we were hungry and didn’t have any food in the apartment,” Drew laughed. “It turned into a whole group of international students and me going to Popeyes every Sunday.”

For Drew, this type of gathering is more than a meal—it’s a cherished time for cultural exchange and conversation with his peers and legal professionals from all over the world. And something he hopes won’t end after law school.

Dedicated to pursuing a career that bridges international business and human rights, Drew’s goal is to work in a field that allows him to travel the world. As a kid, he remembers flipping through his mom’s old Atlas, imagining the world beyond his rural Kentucky home. Pointing to a far-off country he’d say, “I’m going here someday.”

“I grew up in a really small town in Kentucky, so anytime I got to go anywhere new, even just across the state, I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” he said.

To his credit, while in law school Drew has curated an experience that offers him both cultural exchanges at home—like his Sunday night dinners at Popeyes—and abroad.

His first trip abroad as a law student was with Cincinnati Law’s “Colombia and the Law” spring break short course, in partnership with the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. It was Drew’s first time in South America. Stepping off the plane in Bogotá, he immediately knew he wasn’t in Kentucky anymore.

“The city of Bogotá is built into the mountains, so the views are crazy. It was so different from anywhere I’d been before,” he said. “Even the air felt different.”

At the same time, he could see that opera wasn’t helping him fulfill his childhood dream of traveling internationally. But he knew law school could. With its strong international curriculum and study abroad opportunities, Drew changed his major and set his sights on the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

"I was hesitant at first because it was such a big leap—going to live in a country not speaking the language—but Professor Thoreson told me, ‘You’re never going to get this kind of opportunity again, and you’ll figure it out.’ And he was right," he said.

This might be the long-winded answer to how a group of international law students wound up at Popeyes in Clifton every Sunday night.

Sharing not only an apartment but a classroom with law students from around the world has been instrumental to Drew’s career aspirations in international law.

“International students add a whole new dimension to our class of law students,” he said. “Most are lawyers with professional experience, so the way they approach legal questions creates a level of discussion we wouldn’t reach without them.”

These days, Drew is focused on passing the bar. And though he is not singing much anymore, he still enjoys being around the theater crowd at the Aronoff Center, where his coworkers occasionally catch him quietly singing along to an Italian aria.

“It freaks people out a little. They’ll ask me, ‘How do you know this song!?’” he said.  “I still love to sing and have a good time.”

Before graduation, Drew hopes to take his group of international friends to Tokyo Kitty, a local karaoke bar. When they make it, he already knows his go-to song: “Don’t stop me now” by Queen. “Don’t stop me now, I’m having such a good time…”

As his time at Cincinnati Law winds down, he's holding onto that mindset.

For Drew, success won’t just be about landing a prestigious job—it will be continuing to chase experiences that push him outside his comfort zone and allow him to see the world in ways he never imagined as a kid flipping through his mom’s old Atlas.

“The next step is passing the bar, but after that? I want to keep traveling, keep learning, and keep experiencing things that make me stop and go, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m here,’” he said.

“If I can do that, I’ll know I’ve made it."

Want to learn more about our students and their journey to (and through) law school? Read more stories on the "Meet Our Students" page. See yourself at Cincinnati Law!   

Author: Bachmeyer Press

Photographer: Asa Featherstone IV