Born in New York City to parents who had emigrated from Punjab , Pakistan , Ahmad " grew up in suburban Nassau County , Long Island , with her father and stepmother " , also spending time living with her mother in Manhattan , and spending summers in Pakistan and England . She initially planned to study hospital administration , majoring in health policy at the New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell University , but after the September 11 attacks , she changed course . After receiving her B.A. from Cornell in 2002 , she attended Columbia Law School , receiving her J.D. in 2005 . She was a law clerk for Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York , and for Judge Reena Raggi of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Zainab Ahmad