Describing My Career Aspirations Path and the Next Steps in My Life
So this is the world and there are six billion people here on it. When I was a kid there were three; mom, dad, and myself. It was to hard to keep up with the rest. With this in mind allowing one’s personal aspirations to fall victim to life’s hardships maybe a desirable solution, but also a costly sacrifice. It takes perseverance, drive and passion to rise above difficulties, and a long term goal always serves as a light at the end of a seemingly, never-ending tunnel. My goal is simple: intellectual enrichment and the use of my knowledge to be the person behind the scene, the “Sports Lawyer”. My life experiences have helped me to appreciate the value of this goal, and I look forward to reaching it.
I was told that my desire to enter the field of sports law would decline after my first year of studying law. On the contrary, the realization of the power which a lawyer possesses as reinforced my desire to enter this area. An advocate’s work can have far reaching consequences. This is clearly true in sports law, where the purpose is not simply to correct a wrong done in the past between two parties, but to alter the disparate treatment of an often under-represented sports players. The key to Sports Law is personal relationship and the simple pleasures of the way a stadium sounds when one of your players performs well on the field and the way we are meant to protect our players in health and injury.
The famous saying by Robert Frost, “Take the road less traveled by/and that has made all the difference”, is some people’s rule of life. However, I’ve discovered that life is a little more complicated. Sometimes the path we choose. Sometimes we are pushed and pulled in certain directions and we have to react to our environment.
Each place I have lived has its differences, from the obvious of New Jersey and South Carolina weather, to the slang variations of the English language. I bring with me wherever I go a part of those places and the impact they have had on my life, most evident to others by the variations in my speech; like “ya’ll”, instead of “you guys”. Beneath all the accents, however, lies something more significant, for I believe who you are is immeasurable more important than where you were. When I was younger, I could not clearly discem between situations where I should or should not adopt the ways of those around me.
With maturity, however, I have come to understand the crucial difference between adaptation and assimilation. I have chosen to reject the vulgarity of the New Jersey school bus; I have also adopted the South Carolina’s warm and friendly manner. Having experienced frequent moves to very different surroundings, I can adapt without compromising what is important to me while learning from each new setting. A sign hung in my garage for many years that said, “Home is where you can be yourself.” To me this means that home is wherever I am. Starting over so many times has taught me not to fear failure, but rather to embrace opportunities for change.
When I was growing up, the idea of becoming a lawyer started in elementary school by one of my teachers, during a parent/ teacher conference meeting. She quoted “Your daughter should think of a career in law, she has great ability to argue a point without showing any signs of letting off her point”.
Throughout the years I exhibited these traits only with stronger convictions. But everything came together when I saw the movie JERRY MCQUIRE, I realized exactly the field of law I wanted to specialize, “Sports Law”. Because the second greatest asset besides arguing is my love of sports. Now I can unite both of my strongest abilities into one career that I believe is suited for me and one that will drive my desire to work hard for and given the most reward.
Perhaps it was my father who first inspired my thirst for sports. A small business owner from a little town called Yardville, outside of Trenton, New Jersey. He never ceased to emphasize the value of a good education to his three children. Unfortunately, I was his only child to graduate high school and go to college. I enrolled in a small college and pursued my education in the field of law. My path to a college education has been filled with bumps, potholes, detours and roadblocks. The signs often read “yield” and “do not enter”. The path has not always been clear, but I’ve kept my eyes opened, focused on the road ahead, and the experience has made all the difference.
Some people envision the law as providing a sense of possibility, or hope, and I identify with this. I had to put forth serious effort in overcoming financial and personal adversity and focusing on the importance of family and education. Though my sense of possibility, I took my place as a student government representative for three years, as well as an active member in different social standings.
In addition, the ability to attack my goals with a sense of hope, rather than with fear, led me to preside as vice president over Phi Alpha Delta pre-law chapter and as president of my Junior class at Coastal Carolina University, giving me the chance to demonstrate my skills in presentation and organization.
I believe that one of my strengths lie in the way I communicate and deal with people. I think that we must become active listeners in order to understand each other pursuit for a legal education was a decision long in the making. By being the second in my family, my cousin John being the first, to go to college and graduate, the road has been a tough. As my resume details, my beliefs are more than idealism.
The pursuit of law is motivated not only by the desire to assist others, but also to liberate myself through my intellect. The power an attorney possesses is the opportunity to be a positive force in another’s life and to affect changes that are inspirationally boundless. My upbringing has made it impossible to escape an inherent need to impart efforts that improve or enhance another’s quality of life, as I have seen how the availability of resources often equals one’s success.
I believe myself to be a strong candidate for admission to Law School. The well of knowledge that Law School offers is the goal I have pursued all my life. It has taken me many years, but I have finally arrived. I am ready. I am willing. I am still thirsting.
