Meet the Class: 1L Shaadie Ali, Geological Engineer & Civil Rights Advocate

1L Shaadie Ali comes to Minnesota Law with an impressive public service background, having served as interim deputy executive director and interim executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. With a degree in geological engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is looking to add a legal lens to his technical background to become a leader in creative problem solving.

 “I’d love to end up in public interest (either nonprofit or public sector), but what’s important to me is working in a dynamic environment where out-of-the-box thinking is encouraged,” Ali says. 

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You have an interesting background. Could you describe it a little bit?

Some of my earliest memories are of my parents taking me to anti-war demonstrations in a stroller, and my personal and professional trajectory is grounded in those experiences. In my undergraduate studies at UW-Madison, I studied geology and geological engineering to address environmental racism. I worked in public sector energy regulation and private sector energy efficiency consulting. Most recently, I served as the interim executive director (and later interim deputy director) for the ACLU of Wisconsin. The throughline is a consistent process of bringing technical lenses to social problems.

You’ve had some interesting life experiences, could you describe one or two of them?

In Morocco this summer, a friend of a friend’s dad drove me to a leather store to browse. Only after getting in the car did I realize he owned the store. They wouldn’t take me home until I bought something, and I argued with him and his son about the prices of leather goods for two hours just to get a ride home. I got some nice stuff, though.

What do you hope/plan to do with your legal education (realizing, of course, that may change during the course of your studies)?

I want to use legal analysis as one of many “technical” lenses I bring to solve problems as a leader. Right now, I’d love to end up in public interest (either nonprofit or public sector), but what’s important to me is working in a dynamic environment where out-of-the-box thinking is encouraged.

There are many law school choices. Why did you select Minnesota Law?

I always knew I wanted to stay in the Midwest for law school but was looking to build a network beyond Wisconsin. Minnesota is a fantastic school that’s close (but not too close) to home with fantastic connections. I’ve also always loved the Twin Cities, which is a huge plus.

Minnesota Law strives for a diversity of perspectives in the classroom. What are you hoping to add to the mix?

I hope to bring my lived experience as an Arab-American activist, technical knowledge as a former engineer, and experience as a strategic thinker from nonprofit leadership.

Minnesota Law as an institution emphasizes leadership. What does leadership mean to you?

My leadership style is rhizomatic—a democratic workplace allows everyone to take ownership over the kind of work that feels meaningful and fulfilling to them. A good leader should see themselves as one of many equally important nodes in a network, whether that’s a workplace or community.

What are you most looking forward to about being a law student?

In other aspects of my life, I’ve found aspects of legal reasoning a bit opaque and unclear to me. I’m looking forward to those “aha” moments, where I suddenly understand why I had to do certain things in the past in ways that didn’t fully make sense at the time.

What are your hobbies/ interests?

I enjoy hiking and backpacking in U.S. National Parks, traveling (particularly in Latin America and Southwest Asia), biking, and international film. I’m also a fan of reading science fiction and philosophy.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I love making espresso because it gives me instant validation as a tinkerer. Tiny adjustments in the inputs to a complex system produce significant variations in output. I try not to take it too seriously, but I’ll always enjoy the trial-and-error process of dialing in a new bag of beans.

Favorite inspirational quote, book, or personal hero that you would like to mention?

“From a situation in which nothing can happen, suddenly anything is possible again.” –Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?

Anything else you’d like to share?

I might be a former Badger, but please don’t hold that against me!