Anna Lin is a second-year law student expected to graduate from MSU College of Law with a dual degree, JD and MBA, in Spring 2027. She is from Brooklyn, New York, and attended Michigan State University, James Madison College with a concentration in International Relations.
Serving on the Michigan State International Law Review for the past two years has been one of the most defining experiences of my legal education. I joined as an associate editor during the 2024–25 academic year and currently serve as an executive editor for 2025–26. In my role, I support the Review’s financial operations and help coordinate its annual symposium, an event that, this year, has taken on special meaning as a celebration of the Review’s final edition.
What has made this moment especially powerful is not just the closing of a publication, but the response from those who came before us. Alumni have shared reflections that underscore just how meaningful the Review has been across generations. One former editor-in-chief wrote that their time on the journal was “a meaningful educational experience” filled with lasting memories. Another alum, who served on the editorial board and now leads a legal publication with the State Bar of Michigan, reflected that the skills developed through the Review “continue to guide” their career today.
These messages have been both affirming and sobering. They remind us that the International Law Review has never been solely a student organization; it has been a formative space for developing critical thinking, precision in legal writing, and a global perspective on the law. For many alumni, it shaped not only their time in law school but also their professional trajectories long after graduation.
What has always stood out to me about the Review is the people behind it. My fellow editorial board members are deeply committed and intellectually curious, united by a shared passion for the intersection of law, policy and international issues. The work is rigorous. It is also collaborative. We engage with scholarship that crosses borders and disciplines, constantly learning from perspectives that challenge and expand our own.
Our faculty advisors over the years have been instrumental in guiding the direction of the journal and the development of the students. I would like to thank Professors David Thronson and Bruce Bean for encouraging us to think more broadly about the role of international law in practice.
My interest in law has always been shaped by a curiosity about international affairs. The International Law Review was one of the reasons I chose Michigan State University College of Law. With a background in international relations, I was drawn to the opportunity to explore how domestic legal systems interact with global frameworks and how those connections influence real-world outcomes.
Through ILR, I was able to pursue that interest in a meaningful way. One of the most important lessons I learned is that we are all interconnected, especially in law and policy. Countries and governing bodies often look to one another for guidance, borrowing ideas, adapting frameworks and responding to shared challenges.
This became especially clear in my own writing, where I examined emerging artificial intelligence governance frameworks across the European Union, the United States and China. It was fascinating to see how the European Union took the lead in establishing one of the first comprehensive AI regulatory frameworks, and how other jurisdictions are now developing their own approaches, often looking to the EU as a guide while adapting to their unique legal and political systems.
This experience reinforced how innovation in one region can influence legal development globally, particularly in fast-moving areas like technology and data governance.
Working with international scholars has been one of the most impactful aspects of this experience. Each piece offers a unique perspective shaped by different legal systems and cultural contexts. It has reinforced the importance of adaptability, humility, and openness, qualities that I hope to carry forward into my career.
After graduation, I hope to work as an in-house corporate counsel in the data protection and technology space, ideally in a role that allows me to engage both domestically and internationally. The foundation I built through ILR, both in skills and perspective, will undoubtedly shape that path.
While it is bittersweet to see the Michigan State International Law Review publish its final edition, alumni messages remind us that its impact does not end here. Its legacy lives on in the students it shaped, the careers it influenced, and the global conversations it helped advance.
More than anything, ILR has shown me that the law is not confined by borders; it is defined by connection, collaboration and a shared pursuit of understanding.
This story originally appeared on the College of Law website.
