Law School student Omar Bareentto was raised in a Boston suburb yet his values were largely shaped by the trials of his family in their native Ethiopia.
Omar Bareentto, a member of the Class of 2016 at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, was raised in a Boston suburb yet his values and perspective on life were largely shaped by the trials endured by his family in their native Ethiopia.
His father was the first Oromo to propose political liberation on national radio and was rewarded for his efforts with a $30,000 bounty on his head. An uncle was the official Ethiopian diplomat to France during the Haile Selassie reign, but was exiled as a terrorist during the communist take-over. His mother was a victim of a society that systematically subjugates women. Fleeing the country during the Ethiopian Red Terror, his family joined the difficult journey to safe-hood as refugees, traveling to more than six countries before putting down roots in the United States.
Stories about refugee camps, tortured political prisoners and village raids gave Bareentto what he describes as “an empathetic sense of solidarity” with those who suffer intolerance of ethnic differences. “I cannot remove myself from the refugee narrative,” he has written. “I feel as though their story is my story, and I am connected to their trials and tribulations and, in keeping with that, my future success is also by proxy their success.”
Bareentto received his B.A. in policy studies with a minor in economics from Syracuse University, Maxwell School of Citizenship. As an undergraduate, his interest in public policy was reinforced by a summer internship in the Minneapolis office of Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota.
Taking advantage of the university’s study-abroad program, Bareentto spent a semester at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey. “You learn a lot about yourself when you’re put in a situation where you are a complete outsider. I quickly learned that to be successful in life you must adapt to your surroundings.”
He found Turkey to be a beautiful country, the people extremely welcoming, and the city of Istanbul rich in history. Living in a dormitory with Turkish students, he made several good friends with whom he is still in contact.
During his semester abroad, Bareentto also worked at GSI Meridian, an international boutique firm, as a legal intern. His assignments included co-writing “GSI Meridian Legal Brief: Turkish Investments of Libya” on the legal methods of retrieving Turkish receivables from Libya during the post-Gaddafi era. “The job was a great experience,” he says, “because it exposed to me a legal environment prior to attending law school.”
His decision to attend Rutgers School of Law–Newark came down to two factors: the Minority Student Program (MSP) and the City of Newark. “MSP has a long history of opening doors for the disadvantaged,” says Bareentto. “I wanted to become part of an organization that measured its success by the success of each of its members.” He also saw the opportunity to create meaningful relationships both with both MSP students and through the program’s strong alumni network.
As for the pull of Newark, he adds: “After a decade of turmoil, the city is realizing its potential and is growing as a community; economically and culturally.”
Selected by McCarter & English, LLP as a Diversity Fellow, Bareentto had an outstanding experience as a summer law clerk. “The firm is full of great people who took a genuine interest in my future,” he says. “From the onset, I was assigned an associate mentor and a partner mentor and each provided guidance and support to me throughout the summer.”
Particularly rewarding was that he quickly felt like a contributing member of the team. Bareentto drafted memoranda and conducted research for, among others, the Real Estate, Business & Financial Services Litigation, and Product Liability Practice Groups, and even wrote a motion to stay proceedings for a pro bono client. “It was a true learning experience because I was able to garner feedback from attorneys for each assignment I completed.”
As a second-year law student Bareentto is a student honors intern with the Division of Enforcement, Securities & Exchange Commission. He also is a member of the Rutgers Business Law Review, a 2L representative of the Association of Black Law Students, and a Legal Skills Teaching Fellow.
Bareentto decided to go to law school believing that an advanced degree would protect him from discrimination. He no longer believes that. “Discrimination is education-blind,” he says. “Ignorance, hate, and anger are all products of a lack of information and education.”
But he is hopeful that a J.D. will equip him to educate others and rid the world of such animosity. “I believe that, since I was given the opportunity to receive such a great education from Rutgers, I must pay it forward.”
CAPTION: Omar Bareentto at his Syracuse University graduation with mother, Safura Katabay, and sister, Halima.
