User:Vizzy812

Mark Vezzola's Profile Username: Vizzy812

Born in Springfield, MA, Mark Vezzola grew up in Longmeadow and graduated from Longmeadow High School in 1996. He attended the University of Massachusetts-Amherst where he was active in student government and employed at the Dean of Students and the Catholic Newman Center. A recipient of the school's senior leadership award and an honors research fellowship, Mark graduated summar cum laude in 2000 with a B.A. in History.

He attended graduate school at UCLA, earning a law degree in 2005 and a Master in Arts in American Indian Studies the following year. While a law student, he clerked for the Hopi Appellate Court in Keams Canyon, AZ, authoring an opinion on civil jurisdiction. In 2004, he interned at the Department of Justice in Washington D.C., specifically in the Office of Tribal Justice which acts as a liaison between the DOJ and federall recognized tribes.

Since graduating from UCLA, several of Mark's writings have been accepted for publications in academic journals. His M.A. thesis on same sex marriage in Native American communities will be part of an upcoming volume in defense of such unions. Other writings include Native American treaty making and the religious rights of Native American prisoners. In his spare time, Mark enjoys traveling, coin collecting, reading, hiking and camping.

He currently resides in San Diego, California.