Elizabeth Yang lives by the motto: If there’s an opportunity, take it.

So when her mom encouraged her to attend Mt. SAC while still a Walnut High School student, she agreed. Elizabeth was already familiar with the college because her family lived within walking distance of the campus. “My mom actually picked our residence because of Mt. SAC,” she said.

Elizabeth was a shy and introverted 15-year-old and the thought of taking classes as a dual enrollment student at Mt. SAC was intimidating. But that all changed once classes got underway. “When I was sitting in class, I was the youngest, but all the students made me feel welcome,” she recalled. “They became older brothers and sisters.”

She found herself inspired and grateful to have the opportunity to be amongst college students, working professionals, and people of all backgrounds. “We learned from each other,” Elizabeth said. “It provided a widening of my education, experience and knowledge that I would not have been able to obtain any other way.”

After Mt. SAC, Elizabeth went on to UC Berkeley where she graduated in 2 1/2 years with a double major in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “The ratio of women to men was 1:12 and I was often the only women in class.” She would return to take courses at Mt. SAC during the summer and winter breaks from Berkeley.

After graduation, Elizabeth worked for Raytheon Company as an electrical engineer designing radar systems for the B2 Bomber. She has also interned at NASA Jet Propulsion Lab, working as a team member on the main control unit of the Mars Exploration Rover.

Elizabeth later switched gears and obtained her law degree from the University of La Verne. She began practicing law in 2007 and in 2011 founded her own practice: the Law and Mediation Office of Elizabeth Yang. She specializes in intellectual property law, business law and family law.

In both 2016 and 2017, Elizabeth was awarded “Top 100 Civil Lawyers” and “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by the National Trial Lawyers Association. In 2017, Elizabeth was also awarded the “Lawyers of Distinction” award, representing the top 10% of lawyers around the nation.

Elizabeth is a member of the Mt. SAC Foundation Board and lives in Monterey Park with her husband Phil and her two children, Liliana and Alexander.

We are proud to honor Elizabeth Yang as our 2018 Alumna of the Year.