My Last Post Ever: Finding Certainty in a Time of Uncertainty

As you can probably tell from the title, this is my last post EVER for the Jury of Peers blog. I’m a 3L so I’ll be officially done with law school after my final exams. To be honest, it took me a while to write this because, especially now in the time we’re living in, there are so many thoughts and feelings to express and circumstances to come to terms with. Also, I say this all the time, but it’s truly crazy how fast time has flown! So let’s get started!

Graduation

I’ve been looking forward to graduation ever since I participated in Loyola’s Summer Institute back in July 2017 (and maybe even before then) because not only was it a cool thing to say that you graduated from law school BUT it felt like such an honor to be able to graduate from such a reputable and well-regarded school with your peers, some or most of whom have become your lifelong friends and move forward with the next step in your life. Also, graduation is something that I’m sure every law student looks forward to after enduring three (if you’re a day student) or four (if you’re an evening student) years of case reading and briefing, cold-calling, doing mock negotiations or mediations, studying, researching, writing, etc. Graduation was that final step of crossing the threshold and that momentous event that we have all been looking for.

But in light of everything going on with the pandemic and social distancing, our graduation has unfortunately and fortunately been postponed. It’s unfortunate because as aforementioned, it’s something that we’ve been looking forward to for years. But it’s also extremely fortunate because we still “graduate” and complete law school AND because we still get to have an in-person graduation on the Westchester campus at a later time when it’s safe for us to do so and a virtual celebration in the immediate future. Despite the delay, it’s exciting to know that we will still have the opportunity to meet with our peers again and celebrate our accomplishments together.

The Bar (Cue the Scary Music)

In addition to planning for graduation, I have been planning to take the bar this July. However, because of everything going on, the July bar is still up in the air. California hasn’t made the decision as to whether it will still occur as planned, and such a decision likely won’t be made until May. Regardless of whether it occurs in July or it’s postponed until the fall, I’ll take the time after the school year ends to start preparing for the bar.

The Next Step

As to the next step, what really is the “next” step? In a time of uncertainty, the only certainties are our friends, families, and loved ones. I don’t know exactly what the “next” step is, but when it comes, I will be ready and take it one day at a time.

The End for Now

And now we’ve reached the end. I just want to say thank you to my family, friends, and loved ones who supported, encouraged, and cheered me on through law school. Thank you also to Kelly for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the Jury of Peers and share my journey at Loyola with you all. And thank you to you the reader for making it this far. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have been able to study at Loyola, obtain my degree here, and become a party of their community.

Be well, be safe, and hold your loved ones close. This is the end for now until our paths cross again.