LLS is known for being a “friendly” law school, and that makes a huge difference. I quickly realized that law school requires sacrifices- unfortunately, this can mean not seeing friends and family as often as we might like. This means our classmates understand our struggle more than anyone, so we must lean on each other, even in a competitive environment.

Admittedly, I was slow to join a study group. I tend to be shy and reserved and built habits around solo studying in college and graduate school. While studying alone has benefits, discussing the material and sharing practice problems together helped me try out different ways of “attacking” exam essays. One of our professors even suggested texting him while we studied if we had questions, which we did (sometimes quite late at night!). Study groups are great practice for real world law.

The best practice I have learned in working collaboratively is always to offer something before asking for something. Classmates are usually happy to help, but it is also useful real world practice to be a good colleague. This means doing our own preparation so we can maximize our study group time.

Taking an informal poll of my peers, I found that the first year class has mixed feelings about the length of winter break. While many said “it wasn’t nearly long enough,” others shared they were ready to come back and start the “law school routine” again. I think I fall somewhere in the middle.

 

In the days after the final winter exam, I slept, and slept hard. Then, I cleaned. It felt glorious. I felt a little bit of the holiday rush, having completed no shopping before exams ended, but overall, I shared my exhaustion with my family and they understood. In the final two weeks of break, I started writing an article for the Sports Law Association about the NFL’s Arbitration Clause and immersed myself in the hunt for a summer internship. Let me take a moment to applaud the Career Development team at Loyola Law School- they are incredible. As an older student out of practice with resumes and interviews, my counselor answered every email I sent promptly and with excellent guidance. For most of us first year students, this time is exciting, anxiety-inducing, and uncertain. It is exciting to consider the range of possibilities of applying our knowledge to real-life legal situations, and of course, we are anxious without knowing for certain where and with whom we will work.

 

If I had one recommendation for first year students over break, it would be to rest your mind. It felt great to perform contemplative practices like cleaning and exercising. I am also glad I took time to consider what kind of internship I want to try this summer and recognized I will have multiple opportunities to apply what I learn.

We stood in silence at the top of the fifth. Then, we heard the roar of voices and stomping and clapping. “SELL.THE.TEAM!” The Reverse Boycott – started by fans of the Oakland Athletics and joined by baseball fans like me – gained national attention this summer as word spread through social media. The Oakland Coliseum was more crowded than ever. Baseball fans from around the country attended to persuade the Athletics ownership to stop the process of moving the team to Las Vegas. As Raider fans, we knew that feeling all too well.

I spent my summer finishing my doctoral dissertation on religion, labor, and immigration in California’s Central Valley. While the Reverse Boycott and workers in Fresno might seem unrelated, they are deeply connected to a tradition of multi-ethnic, multi-religious, class-transcending protest and striking in the Golden State. I found myself comparing the organizers of the Reverse Boycott to organizers of the United Farm Workers movement. Of course, fighting for a baseball team is different than demanding a living wage. But the Reverse Boycott named the stadium workers as a reason to stay in Oakland: moving the team would cause several thousand workers who earn their wages at the Coliseum to lose their livelihoods. The crowd was diverse on all fronts: race, ethnicity, religious identity, age, ability. I thought about what this meant for studying law, since Loyola’s orientation was mere weeks away.

I imagine everyone who begins law school is met with the question, “what kind of law?” I can’t answer that question yet: there is too much to explore, and I am enjoying the collective wonder and stress with my peers. I can’t help continuing to admire the Reverse Boycott organizers’ commitment to labor justice and advocacy for many immigrant workers. I am excited to continue the journey and learn.