Davis law students celebrate the end of the year with Aokirama

 Aokirama is more than just a student-led celebration: it’s a tradition

By AMBER WARNKE — features@theaggi

Central to the college experience at UC Davis is participating in campus-related events and activities to feel like a part of the Aggie community. While Picnic Day and the Whole Earth Festival may be the most well-known examples of such jamborees, many students are unaware that the UC Davis Law School has a celebration all of its own. 

Every spring, students and faculty from the UC Davis School of Law host a talent show titled Aokirama to commemorate the end of the year. This year’s Aokirama was held on April 17 and showcased a variety of acts including standup comedy, an office-style mockumentary, a puppet show and numerous musical performances. 

To many students, Aokirama is a memorable spring semester celebration that commemorates their experiences at the end of the school year. Any law student can perform, and the event highlights the closeness of the School of Law community, according to Laura Schwartz, a third-year law student. 

“[Aokirama] gives people a chance to not only build community and make friends, but also to enjoy life with all of your law school friends in a non-law school context,” Schwartz said.  “Having a chance for everyone to get together, celebrate, have a good time and support each other I think is really important. [...] Having some kind of event like this shows how much our law school — at least the students — care for each other and want to support each other.” 

Building a strong sense of community can be particularly impactful in the context of law school, which is known for its rigorous academic demands and heavy workload, according to Christina Morales, a second-year law student. 

“College in general is stressful, but law school is even more so,” Morales said. “A lot of us are dealing with clients [at internships] with a lot of trauma or dealing with subjects that are really stressful, especially right now. So, it's really important to take time for yourself to be creative and make yourself happy.”

Participating in hobbies and extracurricular activities is proven to reduce stress and even boost attention, both of which can help in students’ academic lives as well. Additionally, hobbies are shown to increase workplace creativity alongside personal creativity, a crucial skill for lawyers to have as they craft innovative arguments in court. 

Participating in activities just for fun can not only help students in their studies, but also in their careers and personal lives, according to Schwartz.

“If law students just did law, we wouldn't have any lives,” Schwartz said. “If all you do is sit inside and read about the law and study, [then] when you get out of school, get into a job and go home from your job, what do you have after that? Do you have any friends? Do you have any memories besides studying? Is the only thing that's important in your life your job?”

Just as Aokirama allows students to connect with their creative side, it also allows them to create deeper ties with the legacy of the law school, according to Kieran Coe, a second-year law student. 

“Aokirama is in remembrance of Professor [Keith] Aoki, who was a professor of law here,” Coe said. “He died in 2011, and he was a very influential professor here.” 

Aoki was well-known for his study of civil rights, critical race theory, intellectual property rights and local government law, as well as being a member of the American Law Institute. He also used comic strips to visualize principles of law, utilizing them to teach his students and publishing them in several books. Aokirama commemorates Aoki at each annual festival through a slideshow and speeches, according to the speakers at this year’s celebration. 

For UC Davis law students, Aokirama highlights the importance of community, artistic spaces and tradition that stands as the foundation of the UC Davis law experience. Aokirama is open to all students for free, and its doors are set to welcome all Aggies — law students or not — next spring.

Written by: Amber Warnke — features@theaggie.org