“As a patent attorney, there are lots of very minute areas that you need to be able to understand exactly in order to properly articulate what’s novel about whatever you’re patenting,” she explained. “So I decided to just stick with the science that I already knew I enjoyed.”

Clearly she knew what she was doing, as Chana was named the 2023 valedictorian of Lander College for Women. She will be one of the student speakers at the Lander College commencement at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center on June 4th.

“Chana is a brilliant interdisciplinary thinker that makes everything seem easy.,” said Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women and Vice President for Online Education at Touro University. “More than that, Chana has a wonderful ability to integrate disparate information which she uses to understand and explore new ideas.  On a personal level, she is warm and supportive of her fellow students and eager to help them succeed.  It is an honor to have her as our 2023 Valedictorian.”

Originally from Teaneck, NJ, and now living in Washington Heights with her husband, Akiva, Chana attended Bruriah High School for Girls, and came to Lander College for Women after spending two years learning at Michlalah in Jerusalem. The Honors Program student graduates with a 4.0 grade point average. She  made Dean’s List every semester and was the recipient of the Lander Merit Scholarship. In the fall, Chana will begin Columbia Law School, which bestowed her with the Butler Fellowship.

Between her first and second years in Israel, Chana interned for a patent attorney, and she enjoyed the experience so much that she’s still working as a legal assistant for the same attorney.

She made a strong impression on her computer science professors as well, as they tapped her to serve as a teaching assistant; after she completed her coursework in January, she started working in a similar position at Touro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences in Flatbush, serving as a teaching assistant in four classes between the two schools.

In August she’ll switch gears for law school, and she’s looking forward to the challenge.

“I really enjoy everything that comes along with hard work—the legal analyses that you’re able to do once you’ve done a whole slew of reading, and learning how things have been decided in the past, trying to understand the principles behind all the decisions that have been made, and trying to see how the future is going to play out.”

In the meantime, Chana is trying to get through her mental book list, explore New York City, and spend time with her family, “because as excited as I am to start law school, I know that I’m not going to have much time for that over the next three years.”