Education

History, Government

What advice would you give undergraduate students interested in pursuing law?

 “I did not necessarily think that I was going to go into law until the beginning of my senior year. That summer leading up to it, I felt like I was in a place of “what am I going to do when I'm supposed to be out in the real world in a year?” And I was like, well, I might be interested in politics. And it was always said that if you have a law degree, someone will find a way to put you to use in DC. So that's what I ended up doing, just kind of by default. But in hindsight, I think one of the great things for me going to UT after coming from a small town in North Texas was that everywhere you went at UT you were exposed to different perspectives. And I think that was a big part of my experience in LAC was I would always see things one way growing up, and then someone in LAC would say things, and I'd be like, "Oh, my gosh, I had never thought about that". And so the biggest part of law school is that you have to understand how to argue both sides. And if you have a variety of experiences that are fueling your understanding of something, you are automatically better prepared for law school. And yes, it's great to have the things that you're committed to. But the things that lawyers say most often are "It depends". And so you have to be able to see things from every side. And that makes you better for understanding your own perspective, but it's essential in law school.”

“I look very fondly back at my time at UT. I'm from Austin… (so) initially growing up, I didn't really think I was gonna go to UT because it was just kind of the place in the backyard. But when I got there, it was a magical wonderful place. I think of UT as this place where I found the subject that I really loved and that evidently is going to be the rest of my life. And also the place where I just like had a great time with my friends. I think of it as like the beginning for a crucial place in my intellectual life.”

How has your education and experience at UT Austin helped you in your career or personal life?

“One of the things that we do the most as liberal arts majors is write. And finally, by the end of my last semester at UT, I felt like the one thing I could do really well was write a paper. And all the things that I love most about my job are the times where it feels like I'm writing a college paper, where I'm taking in all of this information and trying to synthesize something new and write it in a way that is logical and engaging, because legal writing is not.”