Politics, while not the family business, is certainly the family passion. From an early age, I remember discussions of politics and public policy at the dinner table – discussions which would later shape my life’s journey from the classroom to the campaign trail, and contribute to my lifelong love for the madness of Election Day.
In my life, I’ve been fortunate enough to have so many great mentors but none has been more influential on my personal political beliefs than my mom. When I was in fifth grade, I wrote a report on censorship in libraries in which I proposed that parental sign-off should be required for those books which were found questionable. When my mom read my first draft, it was quickly explained to me that what I suggested was still censorship. Before I knew it, I was on the phone with my Mom's cousin Art, who at the time was President of People for the American Way, and a few days later I was reading reports he sent to me outlining censorship attempts around the country.
From that day forward, I was an ardent defender of the First Amendment. In high school, this would cause me to butt heads with my school district's administration. On more than one occasion I spoke at school board meetings as the editor of the school newspaper to protest censorship by the principal. It was always pointed out that the law was not on my side as the U.S. Supreme Court's 1988 Hazelwood decision gave the administration the right to exercise editorial control over student publications. Regardless, I still felt the need to plead our case and work to change the policy.
Despite my strong interest in politics throughout high school, I went into my freshman year at Harvard as a Physics major with dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. However, by the time I reached sophomore year, I was considering switching my focus from a life among the stars to a life devoted to politics and public service. While I continued to work hard in my scientific studies, more and more of my free time was filled with extracurriculars focused on public service and student government.
It wasn't an easy decision – to leave physics behind and pick up an entirely new major after years of focusing on the sciences. It required me to imagine a new future for myself where I wasn't riding in the space shuttle but working to get strong leaders elected and progressive laws passed.
Eight years later, I am preparing to once again make a big leap, this time trading in the campaign trail for law school. While the differences between the legal realm and the political arena are not as great as those between physics and politics, it still requires me to re-imagine my future. I will have to trade in press releases for court briefs and case studies and law books will fill the space on my desk where districts maps and call lists currently reside. Fortunately, my time working in the New Jersey Senate has opened my eyes to the true power of the law and the ways in which a law degree can help have a greater impact in promoting progressive policies in my community.
I see law school as an opportunity to expand my ability to bring about the changes needed in New Jersey and across the country. My interests definitely lie in public interest law, particularly civil rights and constitutional law. For me, law school is not a means to get a well-paying job in a big law firm, but rather a way to be more effective in giving a voice to the voiceless and empowering those who don't think they have much power.
Temple’s Beasley School of Law appeals to me because of its focus on teaching its students to use to the law to serve those in need and its strong reputation for preparing students for public interest careers. The LEAP program looks particularly interesting to me as schools too often neglect civics and legal education.
In short, law school is the next step in a natural progression that began during my childhood as I learned from my family the importance of the First Amendment and civil rights, developed during my college years when I felt the call to a life of public service and now continues in my early career as I realize the true impact that the law has on our lives every day. I'm now ready to take the next step and become a lawyer so that I can do even more to serve my community.
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