Touline Kourdie-Elshafei
Touline Kourdie-Elshafei
Time at Western Michigan University: 2010-2014 (student)
Touline (Lulu) earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Public Law in 2014. She continued onto Chicago-Kent College of Law within the Illinois Institute of Technology where she earned her Doctor of Law in 2020. Currently she works as a corporate/private equity associate attorney at Honigman LLP. While studying in WMU Political Science, Lulu was the recipient of departmental scholarships, she created this scholarship as a way to pay it forward to current students.
As a political science student, she was memorable to both her classmates and professors. She holds dear to heart the relationships she has made. The lessons she learned, both academic and otherwise, have remained with her to this day and she believes they are the core to the success of her and her fellow students. Her degree in political science fueled her passions and allowed her to learn that no matter the difficulty in the moment, there will always be the strength within to overcome it. The critical thinking, communication, and research skills she learned as a political science student have led her to amazing opportunities since graduation.
As a WMU student, Lulu was very active. She found herself involved with 13 different organizations and speaks highly of comradery that was on campus. Lulu says, "the campus is like no other, not just in its beauty but in its atmosphere as well." She even met her future husband while being a student! To say that Lulu is proud to call herself a Bronco, is an understatement. School spirit was something very important to her and she misses the small town feel and support that Kalamazoo offered.
Even though she eventually went on to a legal degree, she says that this is not the only path for a political science degree. Lulu worked in many areas prior to starting law school: consulting, higher education, and event planning. She advises students to explore courses across the department and find their niche.
The Kourdie-Elshafei Scholarship is an annual award, beginning in fall 2022 with $2500, for a political science major that is working towards graduation and can demonstrate financial need.