Mariana Viviescas Maldonado LLM ’26 and María Paula Herrera Duque LLM ’26 first met as law school classmates at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia 11 years ago. “We started as classmates, became close friends, and then we started dating. We’ve been together ever since,” says Herrera Duque.

After spending several years gaining professional experience — Viviescas Maldonado in entertainment and IP law and Herrera Duque in aviation law — they decided to head to the U.S. to pursue their master’s degrees together. Now, the couple are classmates once again, this time in UCLA School of Law's LLM program.

"Even far from our families, we've learned that as long as we're together, we're home," says Herrera Duque, a Fulbright Scholar who aims to use her legal background in the aviation industry and passion for sustainability to shape the future of transportation. “I hope to work in aviation again, serving Colombia in leadership roles or supporting decarbonization financing as a consultant with institutions like the World Bank or Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).”

Viviescas Maldonado, who chose UCLA Law for its top-tier entertainment law program, hopes to continue working to amplify positive representation of the queer community through storytelling. “In my personal story, finding books, TV shows, and movies that featured queer women was crucial in my path to finding my identity and to feeling accepted,” she says. “I believe in the power of stories and how they can change hearts and minds. So, I want to help, in whatever way I can, to bring those stories to life.”

In the following conversation, the couple share a bit about their career goals and passions and what they’ll always remember about their UCLA Law experience.

What drew you to UCLA Law's LLM program, and how has the experience lived up to your expectations?

Viviescas Maldonado: I’m really passionate about copyright law and love how it relates to art, storytelling, and media, which are all things that matter to me personally. I also like that working with copyright requires a lot of creativity. I knew that I wanted to work in entertainment and that UCLA had the best entertainment law program with course options that interested me and faculty experts that I was excited to learn from. Take my favorite course so far, Entertainment Guilds, which was my first class here and I immediately loved it. It was a true deep dive into the industry of television and film, which was exactly what I was hoping for.

Herrera Duque: I have a background practicing in aviation law, and I was excited to pair that with an environmental law focus. The curriculum here allowed me focus on climate finance for aviation sector decarbonization while also leaning into research with the Emmett Institute, which aligned perfectly with my career goals. I remember taking the course Climate Change Law and Policy with Cara Horowitz, which was the core course I was looking for in my LLM. The content was rigorous and allowed me to question and refine my ideas about decarbonization in the Global South. Professor Horowitz is one of the best professors I’ve ever had, and an exceptional person, which I value above all. I’ve also truly enjoyed UCLA Law’s friendly, community-driven atmosphere, and hope that culture continues to thrive!

What has it been like going through the LLM program as a married couple — and as former classmates?

Viviescas Maldonado: Coming to UCLA Law has been very special because I’m studying alongside my wife. It’s been truly delightful to go back to being classmates, which is how we first met, and sharing this experience with her has definitely made the hard parts easier and the good parts even sweeter.

Herrera Duque: It was challenging at first! We faced unexpected pressures, unmet expectations, and even visa delays that forced us to arrive separately. Moving abroad is never easy, but going through it together has been incredibly rewarding. Even far from our families, we’ve learned that as long as we’re together, we’re home. Although we once considered studying at different universities in the same city, being part of UCLA Law together has been special.

Viviescas Maldonado: Absolutely. We're so grateful to have shared this important chapter of our lives side by side.

What's a moment from your time in L.A. that you'll carry with you?

Viviescas Maldonado: During our first weeks in L.A., we went to the beach every Friday to watch the sunset. Our favorite memory is seeing dolphins playing in the waves at sunset along the shore of Venice beach.

Herrera Duque: It was magical, we felt incredibly grateful and full of warmth.