My Summer Before the Start of Law School

Unlike many of my peers, this summer was tumultuous for me in many ways. I didn’t spend my summer on vacation with my family or even relaxing and leisurely preparing to enter law school. Instead, my summer was spent working and trying to make my way off of the waitlist and into the Loyola Law School Class of 2020 or, alternatively, 2021. The whole experience sounds pretty miserable on the surface, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Although law school waitlist is a notoriously difficult place to be, I learned a lot about myself in the process. Namely, I learned that I’m much stronger than I thought I was.

Throughout the summer, I made it a point to seek opportunities to push myself out of my comfort zone. I may not have known where I would be in the fall, but I knew that I’d need to develop an essential set of skills to excel once I made it there. I was working full time as a tutor for students with learning disabilities, but I knew I wanted more. I had always been hesitant to take on new opportunities by myself, so I knew that I needed to face this fear head on. So, I started volunteering with Neighborhood Legal Services in their employment law clinic. This was an incredibly rewarding and eye-opening experience because it taught me so much about what it meant to help others navigate the complexities of the law. Although it was difficult for me to find the time to volunteer, I knew that my difficulties paled in comparison to many of those that I helped. I continued to pursue this endeavor in all aspects of my life – actively searching for and seizing opportunities that were presented to me instead of waiting for them to come to me.

All in all, what could’ve been a very difficult summer to me, turned into one of the greatest periods of personal and professional growth that I’ve ever experienced.