Axelle LaBaw, BA ’23

I graduated in May 2023. During my time at UAlbany, I particularly enjoyed studying ethics. I found it fascinating how deceptively simple questions like “what is right and wrong?” and “how should we act?” unraveled into numerous persuasive ethical theories.

There isn’t a philosophy class that I don’t have fond memories of. At first, the idea of learning symbolic notation in Introduction to Logic seemed intimidating, but then I found formal proofs to be very satisfying and intuitive. I also loved reading Plato’s dialogues in Ancient Philosophy; it was surprisingly engaging to feel as if I were dropped in the middle of conversations happening centuries ago, having my ideas about abstract notions like justice and virtue challenged. And, of course, there’s Ethics in Artificial Intelligence, where my initial interest in working in tech was sparked as I learned about how all kinds of innovations raise various philosophical questions.

I currently work at Meta, where I lead teams of data analysts training various artificial intelligence models implemented on Facebook, including Meta AI. I’m also in the midst of deciding where I’ll begin the next chapter of my education; I’ve been very fortunate to recently receive offers of admission from some wonderful law schools, including Harvard, Yale, and Stanford.

Earning my degree in philosophy improved my ability to assess nuanced problems, evaluate different arguments, and advocate for solutions. This is a universally applicable skill set that has proven useful not only in my role at Meta, where critical thinking plays an essential role in training AI models, but in my preparation for law school. The logic and argumentation skills I learned in my philosophy classes gave me a solid foundation for my LSAT studies, enabling me to score above the 99th percentile. I’m confident that becoming a philosophy major was the best decision I could have made—an experience that was undoubtedly enriched by the terrific faculty members who always made time for my questions and instilled within me a curiosity about problems I hadn’t even known existed.

Profile Information from January 2025.