Law school is rigorous.
At the beginning of last semester, my Contracts Professor asked us the question, "why are you here?" as in, why were we in law school... I remember him saying, "some of you would answer because you want to make good money, and you know, that's great, but I would advise you to find something more...A cause." He went on to tell us that this cause had to be something that tugged at our heart strings, something that got us to school in the morning, something that helped us to persevere even when we were tired of reading cases, when we were tired of submitting draft upon draft of our legal briefs; something that gave us the endurance to go on.
I'm getting a joint-degree JD/MPA.
When I explain that i'll be in school for another three years the age old question follows, "so, what do you want to do with that? What kind of law do you want to practice?"
I usually respond with something like:
I want to use my degrees to help further the educational opportunities for underprivileged urban youth.
I knew from about my sophomore year at BYU that I would go on to do the joint-degree program. It was just one of those no question things. I woke up one day knowing that it was exactly what I needed to do. The "why" behind it, well, that has come over time. It's something that is still evolving, but I think I'm headed in the right direction.
When I was a missionary in Baytown, I was working on my grad school applications. I distinctly remember being at the library working on my personal statement. I was sitting at a computer trying to type up some corrections I had made, when I noticed a little boy sitting to the left of me. This boy was working on a project on the life of
Emiliano Zapata, and his mother was trying to help him out by telling him in Spanish what to type on the screen. The only problem was, what he was typing was nowhere near what his mother was telling him.
I remember seeing him and thinking, "man, it's too bad I'm a missionary and I only have a limited time to work on my personal statement, so I can't really help this kid out. As soon as I had this thought, it hit me. I AM A MISSIONARY! I was on a mission to forget myself and help others out.
As you can probably guess, I spent the next two hours helping this kid with his homework. While it would be an amazing story if I could tell you that this mother and son duo were converted, our encounter ended with me handing them a pass along card...
After that experience, I was on fire. I thought my life would be made if I could just be a professional tutor and help kids with their homework.
My first job after coming home from the mission was just that. I worked as an after school teacher for a classroom of fourth graders in a school by my house. It was such a happy experience. I know who I want to help, but I'm not sure exactly what my job will entail. Something tells me that I'm not going to law school and MPA school to become a professional tutor.
I do feel though, that the south is calling my name. The South has the fastest growing population of Hispanics. Also, I recently heard
this story and felt this warm sensation in my heart and then a week or so later
read this story on Politico, and it just kind of solidified the desire for me. Then last week when I was visiting teaching, my VTee recommended that I watch the movie,
Lean on Me, & I fell in love. It has become my favorite. The plight of children searching for a good education just warms my soul.
My cause is the cause of my people, my ancestors, and the blood that flows through my veins. Nothing gets my heart going quite like education.
I have faith that when it comes time to graduate, Heavenly Father will show me exactly what it is that I need to do, whom I should serve, and who it is He would have me be.
The plight for a good education is my cause.
I dress up in raza inspired outfits to inspire me during finals week
I get Mexican hot chocolate frappes at the
cocoa bean
I order piñata socks in order to qualify for free shipping.
& I decorate my planner with images that remind me of why I'm even doing this whole law school thing.
(the words on the planner are from this Calle 13 song.)
