By Daniel Wilson

October 11, 2022

When Liku T. Amadi came to Sacramento State, it was the first time she had been away from home.

“I had to definitely learn discipline when it came to studies and networking, and just how to navigate on my own – paying bills, eating out, all of that,” Amadi said.

She soon found support and community by joining groups such as the Nu Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Black Student Union, and the Cooper Woodson College Enhancement Program.

“I did very much lean into the support from the Black community,” Amadi said. “But (Sac State) was also very diverse, so I got to experience other cultures by going to other events and supporting other organizations.”

Amadi, who earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Sac State in 2013, is this year’s Distinguished Alumni Rising Star Award recipient for her many accomplishments and contributions to her community. The Sacramento State Alumni Association will honor her and other alumni during a celebration and dinner on Thursday, Oct. 13.

In 2017, Amadi graduated magna cum laude from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, and in 2021, while in the first trimester of pregnancy, she left her corporate law job to found Anasa Law Firm.

Amadi said her mom suggested the name Anasa, which means luxury in Swahili, based on the family’s Tanzanian cultural roots.

“When business owners come for legal services, it’s not the most attractive and fun thing to deal with, but it’s very necessary and required throughout all elements of business,” said Amadi, who grew up in the East Bay town of Pittsburg. “I wanted people to feel at ease, in luxury, stress free when working with me.”

The non-traditional, virtual law firm charges flat rather than hourly rates. It aims to help small business owners with their legal needs and teach them how to navigate the legal system and make informed, strategic business decisions on their own.

Amadi, who also teaches online business legal essentials and speaks about motherhood and entrepreneurship, said she hopes being recognized as a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient makes her even more visible to young Black women looking to follow her example.

“I think energy is contagious,” Amadi said. “So, when other young Black law students or young female lawyers see that in me, I think that they want to be that, too, which is the opposite of what we’re taught to be when it comes to working in a corporate system.”

Continuing to advocate for the benefit of support found in small groups and building on her passion for helping people, Amadi founded Tryb in 2019. It is a Bay Area community for millennial Black women entrepreneurs and career professionals providing opportunities for networking, participating in events, and supporting one another. Though Tryb paused operation during the pandemic, Amadi says she will bring it back next summer on a larger scale.

Amadi plans to continue serving business owners and teaching them the value behind legal services. She hinted that she has “a lot more coming down the line.”

“(The Rising Star Award) makes me feel like I have accomplished something,” Amadi said. “To be recognized by my alma mater in a way that says that I’m up and coming makes me feel like more of an example to young Black women after me.”