During her childhood and college years, Gillibrand used the nickname "Tina" and began using her birth name a few years after law school. In 1984, she graduated from Emma Willard School, an all-women's private school located in Troy, New York, and then enrolled at Dartmouth College. Gillibrand majored in Asian Studies, studying in both Beijing and Taiwan. While in Beijing, she studied and lived with actress Connie Britton at Beijing Normal University. Gillibrand graduated "magna cum laude" in 1988. While at Dartmouth, she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. During college, Gillibrand interned at Republican U.S. Senator Alfonse D'Amato's Albany office. Gillibrand received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law and passed the bar exam in 1991.