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PrintI am Tulsa - Rania Nasreddine
Attorney with GableGotwals and member of Tulsa's Young Professionals.
Life is rarely dull for Rania Nasreddine. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Why else would the already busy 29-year-old GableGotwals attorney take on a slew of other commitments, ranging from serving on the Board of Directors for the Child Abuse Network and the special events crew of Tulsa’s Young Professionals to chairing the Tulsa County Bar Association’s Diversity Committee? Not to mention she’s also a member of Tulsa County Bar Association (TCBA) Young Lawyers and chair of a planned 2010 event benefiting the Susan G. Komen for the Cure — Tulsa Affiliate. Add all this to an impending move, which has her office submerged in a sea of cardboard boxes, and you’ve got the picture of her hectic day-to-day life.
This schedule is certainly not boring, but little ever is with Nasreddine. A go-getter, she’s a self-described “excited” person who is passionate about, well, just about everything.
“No one would ever accuse me of being calm,” she says.
Apathy is not an option. And that zest for life may be a family trait. She describes her family as “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” with a Lebanese twist — composed of “extreme characters” who are always interesting.
“Life is never dull with the Nasreddines,” she says.
The Booker T. Washington High School alumna is one of three children, all born and raised in Tulsa. Her parents, Adel and Ghada, own Israel Diamond Supply at 4852 S. Yale Ave.
She’s Tulsa through and through. And while that fact hasn’t changed, Nasreddine’s intended career path certainly has over the years. As a child, she always wanted to be a doctor, at least until her first biology class. She hated biology, which seemed problematic for a potential medical practitioner.
“I kept skipping lab to go hear Madeleine Albright speak,” she says, giving an example of campus activities that captured her interest and dominated her time.
So Nasreddine switched plans and received her bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Emory University. Then she headed to the University of Oklahoma College of Law. After her second year of law school, she worked as a summer associate with GableGotwals. Finally, after graduation and a clerkship with U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton, Nasreddine joined the firm full time in November 2005, practicing business litigation with an emphasis on oil and gas law.
Although she may finally be settled in Tulsa, that doesn’t mean Nasreddine has slowed down. In the spare time she has between planning galas, chairing committees and working for one of the most prestigious oil and gas law groups in the country, she has picked up a few hobbies to keep herself even busier.
Nasreddine, who speaks French and “weak” Arabic, is a world traveler. She has been everywhere from Scotland to Lebanon, though her favorite place is the island of Menorca, located off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea.
Her other hobby is just as worldly, albeit in a different sense of the word. Nasreddine is a bit of a poker ace, a skill she acquired in her college debate team days.
“I love playing poker, and I’m not too bad,” she says with a sly smile.
This not-too-shabby poker player took home second place in the Ladies No Limit Hold’em event at the 2008 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge at Cherokee Casino and Resort. Just add that to her already lengthy list of accomplishments.
Even with all of these extracurricular activities, it’s clear that one of Nasreddine’s top priorities is engaging with the Tulsa community.
Other cities may be more glamorous, but Tulsa is home. Nasreddine says she has been offered more money to leave Tulsa, but she is reluctant to leave the network of friends she has made — what she calls Tulsa’s “gift of people” —and the opportunities to shape this “entrepreneurial city.”
“Tulsa is a young city that is a good place for someone who wants to get something done,” she says.
And so it appears the best is still yet to come for both Tulsa and Nasreddine.
“My future goal is to contribute more to my community while continuing to practice good law,” she says.
Case closed.
I am dedicated to Tulsa because home is where the heart is, and Tulsa has captured my heart. Tulsa continuously redefines itself through the help of its most amazing asset - its human capital. One can't help but fall in love with Tulsans - a breed of people who support fine arts like the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, who take care of neighbors through a variety of local charities and organizations like the Little Light House, and who continue to bring innovation to the business landscape. We are a young city poised to achieve even more than we already have. Tulsa is home. And a great one at that.
I am a member of Tulsa’s Young Professionals because my generation consists of individuals full of great ideas, but who need the organization to get mobilized. TYPros is that mobilizing organization.
I am passionate about the Child Abuse Network, which is embarking on a monumental project to allow it to continue to help children, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure - Tulsa Affiliate, which is tackling one component of Tulsa’s health care crisis by focusing its resources on the medically under served.
I am looking forward to seeing Tulsa’s downtown explode with the new ballpark and other area developments.
I am proudest of overcoming my fear of improvisation (and of trying to be funny in public) at this year’s Barrister Bowl.
I am an asset to Tulsa because I’m willing to do what it takes to see our community continue to succeed and yet be able to respond to the needs of all Tulsans.
