Career Change Pays Off

Working the long hours necessary to advance at a New York law firm made Rosena Sammi (Law ’01) appreciate that life is too short not to pursue one’s passion.

“I wanted to do something I truly loved,” Sammi says. “I had been taking night classes at Parsons School of Design as an outlet for my creativity, and I began to realize that I could turn my hobby into a career.”

Her hobby—her passion—is jewelry design, and after a year spent developing a business plan, she launched Rosena Sammi Jewelry in January 2006. Her jewelry now is available at major department stores, including Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, as well as specialty boutiques around the country. “Harper’s Bazaar named me as a ‘designer to know,’ and I have celebrity fans,” she says.

Sammi and her husband, Anthony (now a partner at Skadden Arps in New York), both went through a period of eyeing careers outside of the law. “We often joke that we flipped a coin to see who got to leave the law, and I won,” she says.

Check out Rosena Sammi’s jewelry at www.rosenasammi.com.