Written by: WSCL Marketing Team
Lydia Shahid came to Western State College of Law with a clear goal: to use the law to help and advocate for others. Now a rising 3L, Lydia is driven by a strong commitment to service, advocacy, and creating spaces where people feel seen, supported, and understood. She has already become one of the most active and recognizable student leaders on campus. Throughout the 2025-2026 academic year, she served as President of the Christian Legal Society (CLS), Secretary of both the Women’s Law Association (WLA) and the Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF), participates in Mock Trial, interns with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, volunteers extensively in her community, and balances it all while staying grounded in her faith and family.
But beyond the long list of accomplishments is a story shaped by sacrifice, resilience, compassion, and identity. Born in Egypt and raised in Orange County after immigrating to the United States when she was six years old, Lydia says her Egyptian heritage and Coptic Orthodox faith are an integral part of who she is today. “My Egyptian heritage is the foundation of who I am,” she says. “It has taught me how to be a fighter, but it has also taught me how to have mercy.”
Featured as part of Western State’s Arab American Heritage Month spotlights, Lydia says it is also especially meaningful to have her story published on Global Coptic Day, recognizing the Coptic Orthodox faith and heritage that have profoundly shaped her life, leadership, and commitment to service.
A Family’s Sacrifice and a Future Built on Purpose
Lydia was born in Cairo before her family immigrated to the United States when she was around six years old. Today, she vividly understands the magnitude of what her parents gave up to create new opportunities for their daughters. “My family left everything for my sisters and me to move here and have a better education and better opportunities,” she says. “They had good government jobs in Egypt. They were doing well. We had a lot of privilege.”
Leaving behind comfortable careers, stability, and familiarity, Lydia’s parents rebuilt their lives in Orange County so their children could pursue futures with expanded educational and professional opportunities. At times, that sacrifice meant both parents working multiple jobs while trying to establish a new life in a new country. “To see them leave all of that and come here so that we can succeed is a whole other level of sacrificial love,” Lydia says.
Watching her parents navigate language barriers, cultural differences, and unfamiliar legal systems deeply shaped the way Lydia now thinks about advocacy and the law. “I want to help others navigate complex systems and help others achieve their goals and have a voice,” she explains. That perspective guides the areas of law she hopes to pursue, particularly criminal and family law, where she wants to support people during the most difficult moments of their lives.
Rooted in Faith and Community
Faith has always been central to Lydia’s life. Raised in the Coptic Orthodox Church, she says her spiritual foundation shaped her values, work ethic, sense of service, and approach to leadership. “God is my anchor,” she says. At Western State, Lydia saw an opportunity to help create the kind of spiritual support system she felt was missing during her first year of law school. That vision led her to revive the Christian Legal Society on campus after the organization had become inactive. “I believed law school was about more than just academics,” she says. “It’s about building community and finding your support system.”
Starting the organization again was not easy. Lydia remembers tabling alone during the school’s Meet the Clubs event, unsure whether other students would even be interested. But things quickly changed when incoming students began asking whether there was a Christian student organization on campus. “That encouraged me to keep going,” she says. Today, CLS hosts Bible studies, community events, and gatherings that offer students a supportive environment rooted in encouragement, faith, and connection. This summer, Lydia was also selected for a national Christian Legal Society fellowship program in Washington, D.C., joining 40 law students from 37 campuses across the country to explore faith-centered leadership and the role of Christian lawyers within the legal profession.
Finding Community at Western State
Lydia credits Western State’s welcoming culture for helping organizations like CLS thrive. “What makes me proud of Western State is the community,” she says. “Even though it’s a commuter school, people genuinely support each other.” She describes the law school environment as collaborative rather than competitive, something she says surprised her after hearing horror stories about cutthroat experiences at other law schools. “I’ve heard horror stories from other schools,” she says. “I’ve never seen anything like that here.”
Instead, Lydia experienced classmates stepping in to help when her laptop was damaged during the semester, professors checking on her family during a personal emergency, and administrators working with students through difficult moments. “The professors truly want us to succeed,” she says. “They’re not just teaching law. They’re teaching us how to be people.”
Leadership Through Service
Lydia’s commitment to service extends far beyond campus involvement. For years, she has volunteered extensively through her church community, worked with children with disabilities, supported foster animals, and led Bible studies at the Women’s Intake and Release Center in Santa Ana. “It reminded me that there’s still a human element behind everything,” she says of her jail ministry work.
That compassion also shapes her perspective on criminal justice and prosecution. Currently interning at the Orange County District Attorney’s Office within juvenile justice, Lydia says the experience reinforced her belief in rehabilitation, mercy, and accountability existing together. She also interns with Pacific Justice Institute, where she works on matters involving First Amendment religious rights. “I don’t think there’s a separation between justice and Christianity,” she says. “Love mercy and do justice.”
Lydia believes strong advocacy should never come at the expense of compassion. She says one of the most important lessons she continues learning as a future lawyer is how to “fight fiercely and zealously without harboring hatred,” something she believes applies both inside and outside the courtroom.
Her perspective on service was heavily influenced by her family growing up. Lydia recalls her parents frequently opening their home to newcomers, guests, and families who needed support. “When I was younger, I didn’t understand it,” she says. “But as I got older, I realized how much my parents truly lived a life of sacrificial love.” That example shaped the way Lydia now approaches helping others, whether through church, volunteer work, mentorship, or simply showing up for people who need support.
Discovering Confidence Through Mock Trial
As a member of Western State’s mock trial team, Lydia says she has learned some of the most valuable lessons about confidence, adaptability, and advocacy. Initially, she approached advocacy with perfectionism and intense preparation. Over time, Mock Trial taught her something different. “You can focus so much on being perfect that you miss the bigger picture,” she says. Instead of rigidly memorizing scripts or overthinking every detail, Lydia learned to trust her preparation, think flexibly, and truly listen during arguments. “Mock trial taught me to relax and trust myself,” she explains.
That growth also translated into her leadership roles across campus. Managing multiple organizations simultaneously challenged Lydia to delegate more effectively, collaborate with others, and extend grace when people are struggling. “Leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself,” she says. “It’s about empowering others.”
Preserving Ancient Traditions Through Language and Faith
One of the most unique aspects of Lydia’s story is her ability to read Coptic, the liturgical language used in the Coptic Orthodox Church and the last surviving stage of the ancient Egyptian language. Being so in tune with her roots, learning to read Coptic was very personal to Lydia. “It’s like an unfiltered form of history and faith,” she says.
She explains that understanding prayers and hymns in their original form creates a stronger emotional and spiritual connection to the traditions passed down through generations. “There are some hymns that can almost transport you into an ancient realm,” she says. “It connects you to your ancestors and to God on a whole other level.”
As Global Coptic Day recognizes the rich history, heritage, and contributions of Coptic communities around the world, Lydia says preserving these traditions helps maintain a direct connection to culture, identity, and faith.
Compassion for Others, Big and Small
Lydia’s compassion shows up in every part of her life, including the way she talks about her two beloved guinea pigs, who she jokes have “experienced all of law school” with her since 2024. Spending time with them and her dog has become one of the ways she decompresses after long days balancing classes, internships, leadership roles, and volunteer work. Having fostered guinea pigs since 2023, Lydia hopes to continue that journey in the future by fostering dogs and, one day, children as well. The aspiration reflects her lifelong commitment to helping others feel safe, supported, and cared for.
She also enjoys giving back to her community. Over the years, Lydia has worked with children and adults with autism, volunteered through disability-focused programs, and mentored younger students through church and community service initiatives. She still keeps in touch with many of the young people she met through those experiences. “I love seeing people feel supported,” she says.
Even amid the demanding pace of law school, Lydia makes time for the people around her, whether that means attending her Sunday school students’ volleyball games, helping classmates, or volunteering hundreds of public service hours throughout the year. “That support means a lot to people,” she says. “And one day they’ll remember it and do the same for others.”
Finding Strength Through Identity
As someone who proudly embraces both her Egyptian heritage and Coptic Orthodox faith, Lydia says she hopes others entering law school never feel pressured to hide what makes them unique. “Don’t be afraid to be yourself,” she says. “We’re all created so uniquely and so differently.” That authenticity is something she believes ultimately strengthens communities, classrooms, and the legal profession itself.
At Western State, Lydia found a place where students from different backgrounds, faiths, and experiences are encouraged to bring their full selves into the community. “It makes people feel welcome and seen,” she says. As she prepares to enter her 3L year, Lydia continues building the kind of legal career rooted in advocacy, compassion, service, and justice that first inspired her to pursue law in the first place.
Through leadership, faith, service, and advocacy, Lydia has already shown that compassion and conviction do not have to exist separately, and that some of the strongest advocates are the ones who lead with both.
