A New Chapter
Yesterday was my last day as an employed professional journalist, at least for now. Who knows what the future will bring. I make no assumptions. In a couple weeks, I will be starting a new chapter in my life as a law student at UNLV.
I was first interested in law school in high school. My senior year, I was a member of the Law Club and was able to attend trials and participate in mock re-enactments with my peers. When I entered college for my bachelor’s degree, it was my intention that I was going to be attending law school.
My life ended up down a different path. As an undergrad, I jumped majors often, starting out undeclared, then moving to Music Education, then Communications, then Secondary Education, then finally back to Communications, which became Journalism & Media Studies, where I eventually stayed and received my degree. I fell in love with journalism, and though it was always in the back of my mind, law school wasn’t an immediate goal in my life.
I spent six years immersed in the journalism profession. My interest in law school was sparked again a couple years ago after talking with several of my friends who were lawyers or were in law school. I started thinking about it again, and I set the process in motion to attend, still not quite certain of what I would do if I were accepted.
My life took another diversion when the opening for the editor of the Boulder City Review was created. At that point, I was almost entirely done with the process of applying to law school and had invested a lot financially in it. I loved the job and the opportunities it presented, but after several months, I found I was still wanting a change. I finished up the process of applying.
After I received notice that I had been accepted to a few schools, one of which was Boyd, I debated once more what I wanted to do with my life. I spent almost the entire period leading up to the acceptance deadline debating. I talked to a number of people, some of whom used to be in the journalism profession but moved on to law, others who have been journalists all their lives, some who have always been lawyers, and others who haven’t been in either profession. Ultimately, it came down to just wanting to try out something different.
As I spent the last week working with the new editor of the newspaper and handing over the reins, I did feel sad. Journalism has been such an important part of my life the last few years, and I do love it very much. But I’m also excited to be starting in a new field. And I know the experience I have gained in journalism will help me in my law career.
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