“My main takeaway from my education at Illinois College was being able to realize that I am not confined to one career trajectory,” Duindam notes. 

While his main focus at IC was in the philosophy and history departments, Duindam found value in the courses he was taking and the opportunities afforded to him outside of the classroom. 

One of his most notable experiences was participating in a global studies research project that examined peace studies around the world and culminated in a trip to the Middle East. 

Upon graduation, Duindam began graduate study at the University of Michigan, where he completed a doctorate in philosophy in conjunction with a law degree. During his time at University of Michigan, Duindam worked pro-bono in the Workers’ Rights clinic, providing legal advice for people affected by false accusations of employment fraud. He then went on to work for a federal district judge in the Eastern District of Michigan and for a judge of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. 

This summer, he began clerking at the Supreme Court under Sotomayor. During the yearlong clerkship, Duindam will work closely with Sotomayor. 

“Justices run their own chambers, and clerks are among their only employees for an entire year,” Duindam explains, “So it’s important to have a personality match with the Justice you’re working with.” As a clerk, Duindam will help prepare the Justice for argument, evaluate petitions from across the country, and help Justice Sotomayor determine what cases the Supreme Court should take on. He will also work on emergency petitions and assist in the process in the process of drafting opinions.