Sowmya Bharathi began laying the foundation of her career as a federal public defender long before she made her first argument in court.

As a child of Indian immigrants in the U.S., first in Chicago and then Southeast Texas, Bharathi knew what it felt like to be both an outsider and an insider. The experience sparked her fascination with people. When she went off to learn anthropology and South Asian studies at the University of Chicago, Bharathi became fascinated by the way that countries and cities and institutions shape our understanding of each other.