Join us on Wednesday, April 8, for the third event in our spring 2026 Youth Advocacy Writing Group Working Paper Lunch Series with Chris Egi, Kaveri Sengupta, and Omar Tariq.
12:30-1:30
23 Everett Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Be sure to RSVP here for lunch (this event has passed).
When Child’s Play Becomes Work: The Professional “Amateur” Youth Athlete and the Regulation of Youth Sports
Chris Egi, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Paper Topic: As the debate over whether college athletes should be treated as professionals moves toward resolution, a more difficult question follows: if college athletes are professionals, when does that professionalization begin? This paper argues that many elite youth athletes already participate in sports systems that function like professional labor markets, despite the absence of meaningful legal protections. Recognizing this reality raises difficult questions about how the law should regulate youth athletics. The paper explores whether a more coherent regulatory framework could better protect young athletes while preserving the developmental goals of youth sports.
Biography: Christopher Egi is a joint J.D./M.B.A. candidate at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School (Class of 2026). At HLS, he has participated in the Movement Lawyering Clinic and the Child Advocacy Clinic, where he interned with the EdLaw Project at the Committee for Public Counsel Services. He is also a member of the Harvard Defenders, an active member of the Harvard Black Law Students Association, and currently serves as Co-President of Harvard Law School Student Government.
Youth Participatory Litigation
Kaveri Sengupta, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Paper Topic: This capstone proposes a framework for how lawyers can approach the development of litigation brought by youth plaintiffs that (1) centers, (2) empowers, and (3) learns with them, equipping them to not only collectively push for the desired legal outcome, but also engage as meaningful partners in a truly participatory process that cultivates leadership and growth. To do so, it draws on firsthand reflections about the groundbreaking Kentucky Student Voice Team v. Commonwealth of Kentucky litigation process.
Biography: Kaveri is a J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School (Class of 2026) and a Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab Fellow. While at HLS, she participated in the Education Law: Strategic Litigation Clinic and Child Advocacy Clinic, and interned in the Program Legal Group at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights during her 1L summer. Prior to law school, she received an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she also participated in the Education Law Clinic: Legislative and Administrative Lawyering.
The First Amendment’s Education Clause
Omar Tariq, Harvard Law School J.D. Candidate
Paper Topic: The Supreme Court has a long history of involvement with education, but nowhere is this story more complex than in addressing the constitutional role of religion in public schools. This paper explores the extent to which the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment stand out as a Court-sanctioned tool to actively pursue education reform.
Biography: Omar Tariq is a J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School (Class of 2026) and a Youth Advocacy and Policy Lab Fellow. Prior to attending law school, Omar worked in education as a high school physics teacher then a science curriculum specialist and district administrator. At HLS, he has participated in the Education Law Strategic Litigation Clinic, the Education Law Legislative Lawyering Clinic, and the Child Advocacy Clinic.