少女福利

Back to All An Abiding Foundation, Philosophy, Political Science Spotlights

2020

Current job title and employer and briefly describe what it is you do: Going into college, I knew I wanted to go into law school. That certainly influenced my college decision, I knew I wanted to go to a smaller liberal arts school. I realized, in high school, that having that tight knit community is very impactful. So, even throughout my decision making process, the professors that I was close with at Saint Michael鈥檚 College were very influential in my decision. I don鈥檛 think I would have ventured out to South Bend, Indiana at Notre Dame for Law School if it wasn鈥檛 for that positive relationship with faculty, it really made that difference. They encouraged me to reach out of my comfort zone. In terms of what I鈥檓 doing now, I鈥檓 in my second year of law school at Notre Dame. So I鈥檓 still taking a lot of different classes and I鈥檒l be able to do some more experiential learning and internships.

Academic experience at 少女福利 help prepare you for your career: I think, being a lawyer, being able to read carefully, write clearly, and think through difficult issues is something that my liberal arts education at Saint Michael鈥檚 College helped with; it really honed those skills. I was taking classes where I was reading very difficult texts, thinking about complicated issues and having to write about those issues in a clear manner. Those skills are something that I developed at Saint Michael鈥檚 and they鈥檝e been very important in law school.

Favorite memory or class from your time studying at St. Mike鈥檚: Yes! My favorite professor is Professor Misra of the political science department, she鈥檚 wonderful. I was actually visiting over our fall break and I got lunch with her, it was great because I haven鈥檛 seen her in two years. Her classes always really pushed me to think the hardest, she would always put a spin on the readings. She would make me think about things in a new way. The in depth critical thinking I took away from her class, as well as her writing assignments, has been something very beneficial. I always found her classes to be among the hardest but also the most enjoyable because I really did learn a lot in those classes. I was a political science and philosophy double major, so I also really enjoyed taking classes with Professor Olsen. I took a wonderful class on Plato鈥檚 republic which just taught me to read very carefully and think about the significance behind every word and again, I鈥檝e just maintained a wonderful relationship with him.

Other information you would like to share or advice for incoming or current students: As I mentioned earlier, the relationship that you have with faculty and staff can be very influential in your decision making process. So, always be listening to the advice that they have because as I said, I don鈥檛 think I would have applied to some of the law schools I was thinking of without that encouragement. They know you very well, that鈥檚 one of the benefits of being at Saint Michael鈥檚 College, a smaller institution. I think the role they play in your development is crucial. Also, take advantage of as many of the different opportunities that exist, it may be an internship, a certain class. Again, I think developing those relationships is something that makes Saint Michael鈥檚 so special, so you don鈥檛 want to miss out on them. I would also say use the alumni network, it鈥檚 wonderful! Alumni are always eager to help.

Did Saint Michael鈥檚 give you good networking opportunities? How were you able to use them?

This past summer, I was having phone calls and emailing different Saint Michael鈥檚 alumni in the Boston area to learn about different law firms and the kind of work they鈥檙e doing. They were very responsive and always willing to help. It鈥檚 also always great to connect with recent graduates and talk about different professors that they鈥檝e had and you鈥檝e had and connect about both being from Saint Michael鈥檚.

What were some extracurricular activities that you took part in while at Saint Michael鈥檚? How did those activities influence you?

I was involved in the Student Government Association, I really enjoyed that experience. Those people are some of my best friends still to this day from Saint Michael鈥檚 College. We were working on different projects and fun events throughout the year all the time, so we just bonded so closely. I still talk to some of the people I worked with almost on a daily basis. Also, just giving back to the student body and serving the student body in that capacity is something that鈥檚 important in developing leadership skills. I was also a Resident Assistant and I loved that job. Being able to make the residence hall somewhere that residents were eager to live was rewarding. They were always looking forward to different events we were organizing. Making the environment a close knit community was something that I really enjoyed doing through that capacity and working with resident staff to put on those events was really enjoyable. Collectively, I think those two experiences gave me a lot to take away from my experience.

Which part of your liberal arts education at SMC has been the most valuable to you?

My liberal arts education at Saint Michael鈥檚 prepared me for the challenges that law school and the legal profession present. Being a philosophy and political science聽double聽major, I engaged with difficult reading materials, which has been helpful for law school and my internships. Furthermore, seminar-style classes with discussion were beneficial because they improved my ability to communicate clearly about complicated issues. Lastly, I became a better writer through working with professors on research projects and papers.

Was there a particular lecture, course, book, professor, staff member or extracurricular activity that made an indelible impact on your career path or life, or shaped who you are now?

The summer before my senior year, I did an聽eight-week聽full-time research project as a Trustee Scholar. I worked closely with Professor Shefali Misra of the political science department to research political theory and political polarization. Having taken many of Professor Misra鈥檚 classes, I was excited to continue exploring聽my academic interests聽outside of the classroom. This was an excellent opportunity to pursue my academic interests while improving my research and writing skills. I continue to reflect on my experience聽today, and I have stayed in touch with Professor Misra.