Committed to leaving her mark on Loyola's campus, California, and internationally
When you think about law school, you think immediately of the red law books, the classrooms, the professors, the hard work. And you wouldn’t be wrong. And, if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I genuinely love all of those things about law school. I like the big books, the hard work, the tough classes, the diverse group of people, the experiential opportunities.
More than anything, though, I like the community at Loyola.
When you spend time on campus, in rooms with friends, colleagues, and classmates, conversations can turn from serious discussions to friendly joking quickly. As an example, in the International and Comparative Law Review office, there is a group of people that gathers around 5pm this semester on Mondays before we all have 6pm classes. This isn’t a planned meeting or anything; our schedules just all line up so we can spend a bit of time in the same place at the same time. We all end up having dinner together, discussing anything from class work and outlining to fun things we did over the weekend to joking about a random topic one of us brings up.
It is moments like these—these short bursts of laughing and putting away our books for an hour—that remind me so vividly that we are not just law students. We are people. Being a law student is a huge part of your life while you’re doing it. But it is not what we become.
I’m always struck by just how recharged I am after this short hour of sitting with colleagues and peers, friends and classmates. This time has become incredibly valuable to me, something to look forward to on Mondays. I’ve connected with people I would never have met otherwise.
The community at Loyola is, above all things, welcoming and helpful. Classmates are eager to offer help if you miss class. Friends are quick to celebrate your wins and are there for your losses. Former professors are happy to offer guidance and advice.
It’s odd to think that this time—my time to be fully immersed in this community—is coming to a close soon. And perhaps that is why small moments, like sitting with friends in the ILR office for dinner, have come to mean so much to me. Come May, I’ll certainly miss the chance to add to my law book collection each semester, and I’ll miss the different classes. Most of all, I’ll miss the community and all of the incredible people I’ve had the chance to meet.
TOPICS: 3L, JD Day, Peers & Colleagues, Student Life