Senior Spotlight: Noam Zipris (BA ’26, history with minors in legal studies and Italian)
“I think my History education will be incredibly useful in a legal career, as both history and law work include significant amounts of reading and writing i.e. both fields require the same ‘soft skills.’ Moreover, I think much of law includes the direct study of history—case precedents, interpretation of statutes, etc. Beyond a future career, I hope to continue my studies of history on my own to become a more educated and well-rounded individual.” - Noam Zipris
Awards & Internships
During his time at Illinois, Noam received two Foreign Language and Area Studies fellowships for Italian in Summer 2024 and the 2024-2025 academic year. He is also a semi-finalist for the 2026-2027 U.S. Fulbright Student Program. Noam interned as a coordinated campaign intern with the Jewish Democratic Council of America in Fall 2024. He has also held paraprofessional positions with both the European Union Center and the Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies.
RSOs & Research
Noam is currently serving as vice president for Kappa Alpha Pi, a co-ed pre-law fraternity. He previously served as the trial advocacy committee head and as the chairperson of the professional committee. He is currently completing research for his undergraduate honors thesis, which focuses on the cases of mistranslation in the Treaty of Wuchale between Italy and Ethiopia and the Treaty of Waitangi between the British and Māori Chiefs.
Favorite memory
His favorite memory was returning to HIST 199: Undergraduate Seminar to speak to new history students about his time in the department alongside some of his peers.
Plans after college
Noam plans to eventually become a lawyer with a focus on the international field.