Written by: WSCL Marketing Team
When Noelle Nourafshan first started at Western State College of Law, the oldest law school in Orange County, it felt a little overwhelming at first. Like many first-generation students starting law school, she had to navigate an unfamiliar environment while finding her footing as a law student.
“Orientation was so scary,” she recalled. “I felt like a lot of people already had some experience, like their parents were attorneys or they already knew they wanted to do this.” Now a 2L and President of the Middle Eastern Law Students Association (MELSA), Noelle has helped create the kind of supportive environment she needed as a 1L.
Together with fellow students, she helped revive MELSA, bringing together a vibrant community of students who share cultural connections and welcoming anyone interested in learning more. Through her leadership, involvement across campus organizations, and work as a Dean’s Fellow supporting 1Ls, Noelle has become part of the welcoming and collaborative culture that defines Western State.
Discovering an Interest in Plaintiff-Side Civil Work
Over her time as a student at Western State, Noelle has developed a growing interest in plaintiff-side civil work. Her interest sparked during her personal injury internship last summer, where she had the opportunity to see firsthand how attorneys advocate for injured clients seeking compensation. “I did a personal injury internship last summer and really liked it,” she says. “I’m not sure exactly what I want to do yet, but I’m really interested in the civil area of plaintiff-side work.”
What stood out most to her was how client-centered the work was. In plaintiff-side practice, attorneys get to work closely with their clients and build strong cases. For Noelle, that personal connection matters. It’s what drew her toward plaintiff-side work in the first place: the chance to advocate for people while continuing to learn and challenge herself.
“I’ve always just been a people person,” she explains. “I realized this is an area where I can not only advocate for others, but also constantly be learning and challenging myself.”
Why Western State Stood Out
For Noelle, choosing Western State, which is one of the most affordable law schools in California, initially came down to something practical: financial support. And as a first-generation student, the school’s scholarship structure stood out immediately. “Financial support was really important to me,” she says. “I like that Western does it differently with the tiers.”
The tiers, she explains, are a different way of handling financial support that somewhat remove the pressure to maintain a single GPA requirement to keep a scholarship, which is how most schools do it. Western State’s model instead has tiers of support depending on your GPA rather than losing it entirely if you fall below a certain threshold. Noelle believes this encourages students to keep improving. “So instead of working out of fear of losing your scholarship, it feels more like encouragement to keep doing better,” she says.
Navigating Imposter Syndrome as a First-Gen Student
Despite the welcoming environment at Western State, the first weeks of law school were pretty difficult. “I would go to bed during those first few weeks and think, ‘Am I even cut out for this?’” Noelle says. “It can feel really scary and frustrating.”
Things changed once she started making connections. As she made friendships with other students who shared similar backgrounds and experiences, the sense of isolation began to fade. “When you see your friends getting through law school, and they have similar experiences to you, you realize, okay, they’re capable, and that means I’m capable too,” she states.
Over time, that sense of belonging replaced the early uncertainty. “I realized, ‘Yeah, I deserve to be here.’”
Reviving MELSA
Taking part in reviving MELSA has been a pivotal part of Noelle’s experience at Western State. The idea began as a simple conversation she had with her classmates. “We were talking about our experiences as first-generation Middle Eastern women in law school,” she explains. “And we realized there are actually so many Middle Eastern students here.” Seeing that the Middle Eastern community was large made Noelle wonder why MELSA wasn’t active.
“There’s LLSA, BLSA, APALSA, there are so many organizations,” she says. “And we wondered why MELSA wasn’t a thing.” Together with fellow students Atena Javaheri Majd and Haneen Afani, Noelle took the first steps to revive the organization.
“I didn’t expect to take on the role of president,” she admitted. “We just wanted to get the ball rolling.” Slowly, the leadership roles naturally developed as the organization began to grow and they saw what was needed.
Today, MELSA is a lively and welcoming community on campus, bringing together students with Middle Eastern backgrounds. It’s also open to anyone interested in learning more, regardless of background. “It’s been really awesome and fun being part of MELSA and bringing it back,” she said.
Building Community Through Culture
For Noelle, bringing MELSA back to campus was about giving Middle Eastern students a place to connect with their culture and with each other. During one of the group’s first meetings, she remembers talking about how much people from across the Middle East share. “Even though we’re so diverse, we’re actually so similar at the end of the day,” she says. “Our music, our food, our childhood experiences, our family relationships, we are so much more similar than we are different.”
That sense of connection really shows up at MELSA’s events, where students come together for potlucks, trivia nights, and casual gatherings. “When everyone comes together and shares food and just hangs out, you realize we actually have so much in common,” she says.
At the same time, MELSA has remained intentionally open and welcoming to the broader campus community. “We have people from all backgrounds who come to MELSA events,” she says. “Even if someone doesn’t identify as Middle Eastern, they can still be part of the community.”
Celebrating Iranian American Heritage Month
It has been especially encouraging for Noelle to see Western State honor Iranian American Heritage Month. Looking back on her own school experience, she says Middle Eastern cultures were not always widely recognized. “You’d see Black History Month or Chinese New Year recognized, but Middle Eastern cultures weren’t highlighted,” she says.
Being part of a law school community that actively celebrates cultural heritage feels different. “It’s really cool to be at an institution that highlights and supports these things,” she says. For many students, seeing their culture recognized can help them stay connected to that part of who they are as they move ahead in their careers. “Sometimes when you move into the professional world, it can feel like you’re losing touch with your culture,” she says. “So it’s nice to feel like you can have both.”
Supporting 1Ls as a Dean’s Fellow
Along with serving as President of MELSA, Noelle is also a Dean’s Fellow. The role allows her to mentor 1L students through challenges that are similar to those she experienced in her first year here. “Sometimes they come with questions about classes, but sometimes it’s just that they’re stressed or nervous and want to talk to someone,” she said.
Having been in their position just a year earlier, Noelle now finds herself offering the kind of reassurance she once needed. “It’s nice to be on the other side where I can help students.”
Life Outside the Classroom
Although law school keeps her busy, Noelle still makes time for the things she enjoys whenever she can. Before law school, she loved working out and doing Pilates, and she enjoys creative hobbies like crocheting and arts and crafts. She also loves exploring new coffee shops, especially back in the San Fernando Valley, where her family lives and where new ones seem to pop up everywhere. “I love finding new coffee shops,” she says. “That’s always fun to go to when I go back home.”
And when it comes to food, she doesn’t hesitate when asked about her favorite Persian dish. “My favorite Persian food is khoresh karafs,” she says with a laugh. “It’s a celery stew. I know it’s not the most popular one, but I love it.”
A Community That Stands Out
What stands out most to Noelle about Western State is the tight-knit environment students build together. “For me, it’s the community,” she says. From classmates to faculty members and staff, she describes a place where people genuinely want to see one another succeed. “I’ve never felt like anybody has banked on their success being my failure,” she says. “Everyone is just really supportive.”
That sense of support is exactly what helped turn the uncertainty she felt during her first weeks of law school into a strong sense of belonging. Today, through MELSA, her work as a Dean’s Fellow, and her involvement across campus, Noelle is helping create that same welcoming environment for the students who come after her.
