Alumni Spotlight: David Gravich '09

Where have you been since graduation in 2009?

After Sierra, I chose UC San Diego for undergrad and studied political science. It turned out to be a great experience because I got the perfect combination of academics, social life, and hanging by the beach for four years.

Deciding what I wanted to do after undergrad was tougher. As most Poli Sci majors know, unless you want to spend your first couple years after graduation passing out flyers for political candidates, there’s no direct pipeline to a stable career path. I took a year off to decide my next step and worked operations for a home health care agency. In that year, I decided law school was the right path for me because it provided a good career using skills I felt strong in, including writing and oral advocacy.

I went to University of San Diego for law school, thinking I would have some time to spend at the beach like in undergrad. Instead I was trapped in the law library, buried under books, learning about laws I’d never apply in my practice like squatter’s property rights and contract formation.

I went into law school unsure of what type of law I wanted to practice, which I don’t recommend. Luckily, I got an internship working with indigent populations and realized that’s where I wanted to concentrate my legal career. I started off doing civil work at Legal Aid, helping people who were being evicted, needing restraining orders, and facing wage garnishments. That work opened me up to a population of people who had real problems I’d never experienced, but still needed any help they could get. Eventually I started to intern for the San Diego Public Defender’s Office doing criminal defense and instantly fell in love with the work.

I’m now two years into my practice at the San Diego Public Defender’s Office and wake up with a sense of purpose and excited to go into work every day. I have a great job and couldn’t be happier with my career path and life in San Diego.

Most of what I do is help clients navigate the legal system and take responsibility for bad choices. However, I have clients who haven’t committed a crime but are being prosecuted by the government anyway. Those are the clients I take to trial. A lot of trial attorneys are competitive and despite my sports background, I’m not an overly competitive person. I do enjoy helping my clients by getting successful results at trial though.

Talk about your SC experience. Were there any teachers, classes or activities that impacted you?

Going to Sierra was just a great experience overall. It was easy to be involved in activities you enjoyed with people who were outgoing, smart, and dedicated. It’s probably not a surprise coming from someone who’s now an attorney, but Mock Trial with Mr. Winetrobe was one of the most fulfilling experiences I got to enjoy in high school.

There are so many other memories of Sierra though. Ms. Ellis was always the teacher who was your friend and you could go to for advice or to joke around. Mr. Fennell provided all the entertainment we could handle. I remember Mr. Schrode’s English class was the toughest class I had at Sierra, but I always credit him with why I’m able to write convincingly in a profession that requires persuasive writing. My other favorite times at Sierra were doing the plays with Mr. Novom who started the drama program.

We studied at Sierra but we’d also go out on the lawn to play football at the Nordhoff campus, we did rap battles, made ghost riding videos, and hit the Galleria on Friday nights. Sierra Canyon was a great and I’ve got nothing but good memories of my high school experience.

Do you keep in touch with SC classmates and is that important to you? 

Even though my life is in San Diego now, I still keep in close touch with people from Sierra. Everyone knows there are people worth keeping around in your life, and I was just lucky to go to school with a great group of people, some of which I still call my best friends today.

What was it like being part of the founding class of the Upper School? 

Being part of the founding class of a school was an experience that’s unique and special because we got to define what we wanted our school culture to be from the ground up. I remember Adam Gruber and I were the first ones to start pushing for a baseball team. Sierra listened and hired a coach.

It was also special because we got to participate in so many of the activities we wanted. At Sierra I played baseball, basketball, and football. I was on mock trial, acted in the school plays, and was involved in many other ways. There is no other school where I would’ve been able to participate in so many different programs.

Our class also had a strong bond. Even though I came to Sierra not knowing anyone, I found friendship with a lot of people who were welcoming. It was great to be in our class, we just got lucky having a great group.

What advice would you give to current seniors and Upper School students in general who are making decisions that impact their future. 

Follow your convictions. If there’s something you truly want in life, you’ll make it happen. Be true to yourself and know your strengths and weaknesses. I always like to be the most informed person, so I would say do your research before you make the big decisions in your life. Finally, I’m a person who likes to make my own mistakes. While I’m diligent in trying to avoid mistakes in the first place, I don’t make the same mistake twice.

I will give some advice regarding law school because I can actually offer some specifics. If you find an area of law you really enjoy practicing, law is one of the most rewarding professions. However, getting into the legal profession is increasingly hard these days. Law schools will accept lots of students, but the bar passage rates are the lowest they’ve been in decades. That means you could end up spending over one hundred thousand dollars on an education and degree that don’t amount to much without an attorney license.

Go into the law if you really have a passion for a particular area of law, like business, tax, or criminal. Also, understand, most attorneys rarely, if ever, go to trial. Most people go into law school and find a different passion altogether, like I did. At the end of the day, someone who’s suited for the legal profession is someone who is willing to spend long hours dedicated to their work, taking work home with them, doing a lot of reading, writing, and focusing on minute details, while creatively trying to solve problems.

And don’t forget, those long hours are your reward after spending three grueling years in your law library trying to dissect every boring and obsolete area of law thrown your way.

At the end of the day, I’ve had friends who finished law school and decided being an attorney wasn’t for them. I also have a lot of friends and colleagues who are proud to be attorneys and would never give up their profession.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 

I’ll still be at the San Diego Public Defender’s Office working hard for my clients.