After passing the Missouri Bar exam, Clarissa Polk Shah skipped an opportunity to be sworn-in with a larger group of examinees in the state capitol. She opted instead to be sworn-in during an intimate ceremony at the federal courthouse in downtown St. Louis.
“I do solemnly swear,” she repeated after Raymond W. Gruender, a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
At that moment, Shah said she felt a sense of awe and gratitude at having successfully pursued Juris Doctorate and Master’s degrees at the same time while holding down a job.
“It was a long process,” she said. “I realized that I made it. That I came through all of it. And the gratitude part was that I could not have done it alone.”
Both of her parents played supportive roles throughout the entire process – teaching her to explore outside of her comfort zone, she said. Her mother, Cheryl Polk, stood inside the courtroom, beaming and a bit teary-eyed. Her daughter is destined for great things, Polk said, adding that Shah’s always been keenly focused on her goals.
That keen focus was evident early on as Shah developed a zest and natural aptitude for the Chinese language. The John Burroughs School graduate went on to study the language at Colgate University in New York where she majored in Chinese Language and Literature. She also minored in Political Science before graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2010. Another moment of pride, she said, was graduating with Honors in Chinese and with seven awards from the university.
It was at Washington University in St. Louis where she pursued her Juris Doctorate and Master’s in East Asian Studies: Chinese Language and History. Gruender, a former law school mentor and close family friend, advised Shah to be “open-minded” when it came to her legal education and to “stay true to herself” in her pursuits.
“If I am really to pursue my passions,” she recalled, “I’ll make sure Chinese is incorporated into this whole picture.”
She sought a career at a company that would foster both interests and set her sights on Emerson, which she discovered has expansive Chinese operations.
During the summer after her first-year of law school, she began as a law clerk in the legal department at Emerson. Now, she reviews and negotiates contracts in her role as commerce staff counsel and supply chain specialist.
She has nothing but high praise for the “brilliant” lawyers at Emerson, and said working with the company has been an incredible experience.
“The lawyers in our department are excellent teachers and care about making sure the young attorneys are trained well, are learning and are challenged,” she said.
Like Victor Lazzaretti, vice president and deputy general counsel at Emerson, who Shah said has provided ample professional development opportunities.
“He has put me in a position to assist in managing the legal function of our supply chain at Emerson,” she said. “He’s given me the opportunity to travel.”
Most of her travel has been to Asia, where she has visited places like Hong Kong, China and the Philippines.
Polk said, “She’s been able to not only fulfill her dreams, but she continues to serve in the communities in which she lives.”
Next spring, Shah will assist the Congressional Black Caucus with some of the foundation’s China-related programs. And she’s also in the early stages of establishing a Chinese language-learning program because she said learning a language is a “blessing” that everyone deserves to experience.
“After studying a language,” she said, “you just see the world completely differently.”
Follow this reporter on Twitter: @BridjesONeil.
