1/3rd a Lawyer.....

So, the grades are in. The summer has begun. Clerkship has started. 1L year is officially over. 




I have survived. I am happy. I am content. I did it. 


This year has been a whirlwind of stress and emotions but I conquered it. When I thought I couldn't do it, I proved that I could. 


I did not give up. I showed up and showed out. 


There aren't enough words to express who happy I am. 


Thank you to my husband Corey who is an amazing support system. Thank you to my mom who is my #1 supporter. Thank you to my son Jae for not chastising me for not being around as much :)


Thank you to Amy Brammell for being the best Twin Best Friend a girl can have. If I didn't have someone to share in this experience and allow me to lean on you at my low points, I may not have come out of this. 


Thank you to all the wonderful people I met this year. Raniyah, Dibora, Whit, Whip, Julie, Elizabeth, Lia, Greg, Shayan, Patty, Susan, Jocelyn, Leo, Veronica, Tiff, Brandon, Melanie, Adam, Olya ;), Camille, Jerrica, De, Del, Lafa, Kristen, Jimmy, and soooo many more people. 

Spring Break

Oh how I have waited for Spring break.....


Plans of going away, waking up late, and doing nothing. 


Now Spring Break arrives and guess what? I am still up early, working hard and at the school for three days of my break....


What a joke! LOL




But all in all, I appreciate the great weather in Chicago this week and the opportunity to get organized and recap all that I have learned this semester to improve from last semester. There is always room for improvement and I am enjoying my leisure time and my ability to get on top of things. 

1L 2nd semester

So now is the time to evaluate what you did good or bad last semester and make some changes. 


This is a new semester, different classes but you now have experience under your belt. If you did good then you know how to manage and keep doing well. If you did less than satisfactory, it is only up from here. (Hopefully)


This new semester I have five classes, two volunteer positions and less money. At the least my stress level has elevated but I know what is needed. I know what needs to be adjusted. What worked and what did not work. 


I never learned how to properly study because my ability to understand new concepts have been great so far. This is something new. I tried new ways to study and some worked and some didn't. I was one of those students who went to class, studied for exams the night before and got a effect score. This isn't undergrad and I can't do that. I didn't do that but I still was unsure on how to properly study or if my method of studying was good or not. 


Grades were not perfect but they weren't bad either. I did good for my 1st semester and I am excited to do even better this new semester. I am more confident, have little bit more knowledge and some new techniques under my belt. 


I vow to make this semester my best of the year. First week was chaotic but glad to be in this position. Pursuing my dreams, completing my goals and expanding my knowledge. 

High Expectations

I was speaking to an incoming 1L and he was buying books at the SBA book sale. He needed a little help find his books so I helped him out. He told me who his teachers were and found out he has my same section. I began to give him advice on the teachers on what not to do, what to expect and the ends and outs and he kept stating "Oh I'm not worried, I was a great student in Undergrad". 


It took me to experience my 1st semester of law school to be able to say to him. "This is nothing like Undergrad". Law School is totally new experience. You don't come in prepared for law school. You can't expect to be a straight A student because when you get your first C your world as you know it may come crashing down. 


I understood where he was coming from. That was me last August. School has never been a challenge for me. I am a perfectionist but in law school I faced reality. I lowered my expectations so that I can see what I needed to improve and grow from my experience. 


Had I kept my expectations high, not getting an A in a class I felt I should have gotten an A would have prevented me from comprehending what I did wrong and how to go forth. That is not something someone can tell you because you will not receive what someone is telling you. 


I did not try to tell him to lower his expectations. Me and a friend reminded him that almost everyone in Law School was a straight A student but not everyone can get a A because Law School has a mandatory curve. Maybe he listened, maybe he didn't. Come June he will understand all to well what we meant.

Winter Break

Ok, so winter break is finally here. Final are behind you and you are living the life. Waking up as late as you want. No where important to be but then it hits you.

Grades will be here soon. Job applications don't fill out themselves. Scholarships and fellowships want you to conjure up a miracle also known as a law school transcript and panic sits in.

Winter break should be relaxing, or just a BREAK.

In reality, it is disguised as pandemonium and a cover letter fiesta. I have typed 25 cover letters and still feel behind.

Winter break has let me down completely. I have one grade so far and my anxiety has jumped to an all time high.

Why even give them one at a time???

To drive me crazy. That is why.

One more week and I am back to hibernation.

Can I have a minimum of at least two more weeks???????

1L....I am not about that life!

My very first semester doing what I always knew I would...becoming an attorney. Six years old with the dream of being an attorney who does hair on the side, now twenty years later, my dreams are attainable. I began a little over two months ago, I began confused and excited. Now I understand more and much more comfortable but so overwhelmed. My schedule is non existent just like my social life. Juggling my son, husband, school work, and the different organizations I am involved in, has been nothing short of time consuming. It is not a matter of law school being hard, it just requires hard work. Keeping up with readings, outlines and my schedule of things to get done has made my life so much less appeasing. 


But with all that said, I am even more excited to have start this journey and so much closer to living my dream! 


Goodnight until I find another free Saturday night to blog......