Usha Vance was editor-in-chief at a Yale student magazine: How were her law school years?

Long before she stepped into the national spotlight as the Second Lady of the United States, Usha Chilukuri Vance was already making quiet waves in the ivy-covered halls of Yale Law School.

She didn’t need a microphone to make an impression—she had a pen, a point of view, and a determination that would later shape her legal and public life.As editor-in-chief of Our Education, a student-led publication focused on policy reform, Usha brought both intellect and intention to campus debates. But her law school experience wasn’t just about journals and GPAs—it was about sharpening her political instincts, refining her legal mind, and finding her place in the nation’s machinery of power.

Law at Yale became a defining ground

When Usha returned to Yale for law school after earning her history degree from the university and an M.Phil. from Cambridge, she wasn’t a wide-eyed first-year. She was already a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a seasoned observer of power and systems. At Yale Law, she didn’t merely study legal doctrine—she actively shaped legal discourse.Holding top editorial roles on the university’s most prestigious law journals, she immersed herself in constitutional law, public policy, and the real-world application of justice.

It was here that she encountered future political partner JD Vance, but her narrative was never limited to romantic footnotes. She was building a professional trajectory rooted in service, scholarship, and systemic understanding.

From the editor’s desk to the courtroom

While many law students use editorial positions as resume-padding, Usha used them as platforms. Our Education wasn’t just a student magazine—it was her early instrument for advocacy.

Through policy-focused writing and editorial leadership, she translated academic discussions into actionable insights, focusing particularly on educational equity and reform.That clarity of purpose followed her beyond Yale. She landed two of the most coveted clerkships in the country—first with then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals, and then with Chief Justice John Roberts at the U.S. Supreme Court.

These positions, often viewed as launching pads for judicial or academic stardom, cemented her status as a legal mind to watch.

Corporate law with a conscience

After law school, Usha entered corporate litigation at a top-tier firm. But unlike many peers, she didn’t disappear into boardrooms. She maintained her engagement with education policy, constitutional questions, and public service—not through media appearances, but through institutional expertise.

Her intellect was not performative; it was structural.

A shift toward politics, on her own terms

In 2024, Usha stepped away from her high-powered legal career—not in retreat, but in strategy. She joined her husband’s vice-presidential campaign full-time, not merely as a supportive spouse, but as a seasoned legal and political mind. On January 20, 2025, JD Vance was sworn in as Vice President, and Usha became Second Lady of the United States.Yet, she remains a political figure in her own right.

Fluent in legal language and policy nuance, she represents a shift in what the role of a Second Lady can embody: intellect without ego, strategy without spectacle, and influence without the need for spotlight.As the first Indian-American Second Lady, Usha Vance brings cultural weight and generational resonance. Her achievements—across Yale, Cambridge, and the Supreme Court—represent not just a high-achieving resume, but a recalibration of immigrant and female ambition in American political life.She didn’t take the loud path. She took the long one.

The law student who never stopped questioning

Usha’s years at Yale Law weren’t just about preparing for a legal career—they were about preparing to question power, reshape narratives, and eventually, step into national life with authenticity and precision. Her journey from editor-in-chief of a student publication to Second Lady of the United States is a rare example of what it looks like when quiet intellect meets public purpose.

And while the world may now be watching her in Washington, it’s clear: Usha Vance has been ready for this moment for a very long time.