Cornell Law Veterans Association (CLVA)

Class of 2027 (Captain, US Army, 2017-2024)

A Houston, Texas native,  Anthony Jesel commissioned as an Infantry Officer in the United States Army after graduating from Sam Houston State University in 2017 with a BA in History. Anthony served 7 years total; first with the 101st Airborne Division (Fort Campbell, KY); then 210th Field Artillery Brigade (Camp Casey, ROK); and finally as a staff officer with 3rd Special Forces Group and 4th Psychological Operations Group (Fort Bragg, NC). At Cornell Law School, he stays engaged with the Criminal Defense Practicum, Capital Punishment Clinic, has interned with the Cornell Public Defender’s Program, and will intern at the Federal Defenders Office (NDNY) Summer 2026. He hopes to work in the Criminal Defense sector after graduation.

Class of 2027 (Sergeant, US Army National Guard, 2018-Present)

Born in Panama City, Panama, Estefania moved to New York City in 2018 after transferring from Florida State University to John Jay College of Criminal Justice to pursue a degree in Criminology. Shortly thereafter, she enlisted in the New York Army National Guard, where she served on state missions during the COVID-19 pandemic and later deployed to the Horn of Africa. During the four years between undergraduate studies and law school, Estefania worked as a Criminal Analyst with the Counterdrug Task Force. At Cornell Law School, she has participated in Moot Court competitions and has been involved in the Veterans Law Practicum, the Capital Punishment Clinic, and the Transnational Disputes Clinic. She has also served on the executive boards of CLVA and LALSA. Estefania will return to Winston & Strawn in New York City as a Summer Associate in 2026.

Class of 2027
(Petty Officer, US Navy, 2016-2021)

Enlisting out of the Hudson Valley, Led joined the Navy in 2016 and served on two deployments aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN 69, in 2020 and 2021. After finishing his undergraduate in English in the SUNY system, Led began attending Cornell Law where he currently supplements his studies with his work in the Tenants Advocacy Practicum – helping to provide advice and representation to upstate tenants.

Class of 2027
(Staff Sergeant, US Air Force, 2017-2023) 

Originally from Massachusetts, Nick enlisted in the Air Force in 2017, serving as an Air Traffic Controller at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, WA before transferring to the Air Force Reserve in late 2021. While serving as a reservist at Beale AFB, Nick finished his undergraduate degree full-time at San Francisco State University, earning a B.A. in Economics in 2023. At Cornell Law, Nick participates in Moot Court and is a member of the Securities Law Clinic. Last summer, he contributed to the Cornell Legal Information Institute’s Wex Definitions Project and participated in the Cornell-Paris 1 Summer Institute. He will be spending this summer in the New York office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a 2026 Summer Associate. Nick plans to spend more time abroad during his 3L year as part of an exchange program and hopes to make cross-border work an important part of his future practice.

Class of 2027
(Operations Specialist, USCG, 2012-2022) 

Zach Mann (Class of 2027) is originally from Poconos, Pennsylvania, but now lives with his wife and two children near Ithaca, NY. He serves as a Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant at Cornell Law, is a Blackstone Fellow, and as an Executive Board Member with Cornell Law’s Federalist Society. Zach served as a Judicial Intern in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

Before law school, Zach graduated summa cum laude from Northwest University, where he was President and Chair of the American Enterprise Institute Executive Council. Previously, he served a decade of Active-Duty Military service in the U.S. Coast Guard, mostly conducting counter narcotics interdiction within Joint Interagency Task Force South. Beyond law and public service, Zach is a soccer coach, avid coffee enthusiast, and collector of antique books.