NATALIE DIALA UGWU
J.D., UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER (2020)
Natalie Diala Ugwu currently works in-house at Maverick Natural Resources in Houston, Texas. The 2020 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center was introduced to the legal profession through her alma mater’s Pre-Law Pipeline Programs.
“I was fortunate to go through the Pipeline Program,” Diala Ugwu said. “It was absolutely instrumental in jumpstarting my desire to become a lawyer. It not only prepared me to apply for and complete law school, but it also connected me to a variety of attorneys who served as mentors and offered me guidance throughout my legal journey.
After completing her undergraduate education from the University of Miami with a focus in public relations, she determined her communications skills could translate well in a legal career.
“I wanted something a bit more challenging,” Diala Ugwu said. “After talking to mentors and friends and doing some research, I saw a lot of the things I liked about PR and communications that I could accomplish through law.”
To confirm that attending law school was the right decision, Diala Ugwu participated in the Pre-Law Pipeline Program two summers in a row.
“I was still researching and figuring things out,” she said. “I went into the program thinking that it would help me know for sure if law was something that I wanted to pursue. At the end of the program, I knew I definitely wanted to be an attorney.”
During her tenure as a Law Center student, Diala Ugwu was a summer associate at Baker Botts, Susman Godfrey and Holland Knight. She was also a judicial intern for the U.S. District Bankruptcy Court Judge Jeff Bohm.
As a 3L, she went to Washington D.C. to work as a legal intern with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Her time in the nation’s capital set the stage for her early career aspirations.
“The SEC experience pushed me in the right direction for my career,” Diala Ugwu said. “Working in the corporate finance department was right up my alley. The branch of the SEC I worked in dealt with public filings for public companies and initial public offerings.”
Diala Ugwu, a first-generation American, has personified the Law Center’s mantra of, “The Power of a Legal Education” much to the delight of her mentors and peers at the Law Center.
