My Hidden Agenda: A Few of My Philosophies

When I started the search for a 4 year college, I had the following criteria in mind: financial aid, location, prestige, and accreditation in my field of interest. There are several schools that I looked at in W.V. and the surrounding states, but I chose Wesleyan because they offered financial aid to +90% of their student population, it was only 45 miles from home, it came highly recommended, and it had the pre-law/political science program that I wanted.

As a result I paid for my four years at WVWC through scholarships, grants, work study, and minimal loans. I am able to take advantage of legal internships in my county while receiving credit at Wesleyan. I am able to be highly recommended to the law school of my choice because of the professors who taught me whom are well-known in outer political science circles.

Success is the outcome you desire produced by diligence, enthusiasm, and connections. For example, when I worked as an English as a Second Language Tutor, I defined success within the department as tutors working hard (with myself training and tutoring), enthusiasm for the students, and connections with other professors and campus scholarly outlets.

Political Science is the past and present day knowledge, examination, analysis and interpretation of all things happening in and related to the political realm. It serves well as my major to prepare me to enter into law school and eventually become a practicing attorney. An attorney must take facts with opinions, sort evidence, and interpret the law to find justice for her client. An attorney must know the happenings of all things in the political realm in order to interpret the law as the rest of the country (i.e. Supreme Court) does.

When I conducted a campus-wide survey on voting trends in Spring 2004, I analyzed the data using SSPS using the variables: age, sex, and political party to find out which groups would be more likely to vote for a woman president, more likely to vote for Bush and more likely to vote for Democratic contenders.

Recently I took a risk in international studies and spent a semester abroad in Northern Ireland. Never having flown or traveled the extent of my country, the semester abroad was a scary but rewarding experience. As a result of taking the risk that only 6% of college students take, I learned political history of another country, international cultures, and how to survive on my own.

What interests me most about the profession of attorney is the fine line one experienced in the law has to stand on every day in interpreting and exerting the "correct" justice for one's party. It is not always an easy thing to defend every type of client, but that is what is most admirable about the profession. It is, in some ways, finding some bit of good or justice in everyone you meet.

The biggest persuasion I have made is to convince a girl to join a sorority: a commitment for the rest of her college career, many extracurricular hours away from homework and studying, and monetary expenditures. I told her that the costs come with a greater gift for herself: the gift of lifelong friends and connections. A favorite quote was used "If I'm paying for my friends, then I'm not paying nearly enough". The girl was a Japanese student and the transition into Greek life helped her in many other aspects: learning the language better, finding new friends and study partners, and feeling more at home at WVWC.

The biggest sacrifice I have had to realize is you don't always get what you want in the job field and in life. I had searched for legal internships every summer between semesters in college and never found one that could pay anything. I finally decided last summer to work a full-time job and keep a non-paying internship with part-time hours. The result was I was able to save money for my next semester in college and I gained very valuable experience with a circuit court judge and a county magistrate that I would not have been possible had I required payment.

If I could redo anything in my life, I would have researched more about our country's military branches and the benefits/downfalls of joining. When my younger brother told me he wanted to join the Marines in Fall 2004, I knew of the superficial downfalls-being sent to Iraq, etc. I never envisioned the things that could go wrong in basic training at this country's bases. My brother died in training, and I wish that I could have advised him of the dangers before he left for boot camp.