University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School graduate Sarah Best was a victim of the American Airlines plane crash in Washington last week.
Best graduated summa cum laude from Penn Carey Law in 2021 and worked as an associate at Wilkinson Stekloff LLP, a law firm in the D.C. area. She was one of 67 victims aboard the American Airlines plane from Kansas that collided with a military helicopter over the Potomac River on Jan. 29.
At Penn, Best served in leadership roles for the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, the Equal Justice Foundation Board, and First Generation Professionals. She was also named Best Oralist during Penn Carey Law’s intramural moot court tournament, the Keedy Cup, in 2021.
“We are deeply saddened that Penn Carey Law alumna Sarah Best was among those who perished on the American Airlines flight,” a Penn Carey Law spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “Sarah blended academic excellence with a deep commitment to service. In addition to her extraordinary talents and generous spirit, she was known widely for her warmth and kindness.”
The spokesperson wrote that Best was also a member of the Order of the Coif, an honor society for law school graduates.
“Sarah will be missed by all who knew and worked with her. Our hearts and thoughts are with Sarah’s family and friends during this tragic and difficult time,” they wrote.
Before coming to Penn, Best attended Vanderbilt University and worked as a high school teacher for five years. After graduating, she served as a clerk for judges on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She had joined Wilkinson Stekloff last fall.
“Sarah was a brilliant, kind, and compassionate soul who touched the lives of so many,” Penn Carey Law Dean and Law professor Sophia Lee wrote in a statement on Penn Carey Law’s website. “As we grieve together, we hold close the memory of Sarah and the light she brought into our lives.”
Vice Dean for Student Services and Dean of Students Felicia Lin wrote in the same statement that Best was “a wonderful friend and leader.”
“This is an unimaginable loss, but we are all better for having known Sarah,” Lin wrote.
Following the crash, Penn Carey Law created a website for Penn affiliates to leave their memories of Best.
1977 Penn Carey Law graduate Paul Diamond, who employed Best as a clerk for two years, wrote that Best’s “brilliance, ebullience, and kindness lit up Chambers, much as it lit up the Law School. The tragedy of her unfulfilled promise is great.”
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