Loyola University Chicago

Essay One

When the federal agents arrived early that morning, my friend Adam didn't have a chance. They took everything during the raid -- every piece of computer-related equipment he owned, from disks to telephone cords. Adam, a competent "hacker," never did tell me that day's entire sequence of events, but I knew enough to realize that his life was changed forever. This was my first encounter with the law, and at the impressionable age of fourteen, I was affected.

Perhaps, then, my initial interest in the law arose out of fear for my own safety: I wanted to be certain that whatever I did with my computer was legal. Irrespective of the motivation, I began to ask questions and read about computer laws. To my amazement, I found little material. Over the next few years, it occurred to me that advancing technology was opening doors that society, armed with its laws, was ill-equipped to enter. This grew more apparent as outrageous anecdotes became prevalent in the media: computer failures in surgery, police arrests based on erroneous data, privacy invasion. While I continued to research the consequential dilemmas, I pondered their solutions and even published some articles. During these years, I saw the public begin to confront these dilemmas as well. Debate among philosophers, academicians, scientists, and lawmakers swelled, and then I understood: this was the dynamic, evolutionary nature of the law. Issues were emerging; ideas were forming. Society was responding.

When I matriculated in 1988, the engineering school at [school] did not offer a course which addressed the societal implications of advancing technology. During my sophomore year I approached a professor and we eventually created and taught such a course together. The class was a unique approach to education: we held roundtable discussions with guest speakers who were experts in this relatively young field, including Mitch Kapor (founder of Lotus and the EFF), Jerry Berman (former ACLU lawyer), and Marc Rotenberg (founder of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility). Through this class, my view of the law broadened. I saw how well-intentioned laws can be misused against people, even by the government. I witnessed how the absence of law and its framework for order and justice can be devastating. Most importantly, I realized that constructing the law in response to a dilemma can be a slow and difficult process because there may be no clear answers, especially when the dilemma is not fully understood. Nonetheless, I saw that I could apply my problem-solving, reasoning, and writing skills in constructing preliminary solutions.

My interest in this form of problem-solving extended beyond just technology issues. I found the intellectual process so exhilarating that I was eager to engage it with respect to other dilemmas that concerned me. Consequently, I joined the model United Nations organization at [...]. As chairman of a committee of about one hundred delegates, I researched, wrote papers, and moderated discussions on terrorism, Antarctic exploitation, Latin American economic unity, and drug legalization. I chose these topics because of their timeliness, their significance, their diversity, and their interest to me. Our debates were sometimes more educational and more practical than classroom learning. In fact, grappling with these issues forced us to think outside of academia. We witnessed the need for negotiation and compromise, and we often constructed innovative solutions. More importantly, we participated in a process that identified, confronted, and attempted to resolve societal dilemmas. I have participated in very few experiences which were as satisfying to me as these.

Lawmakers define how society will deal with complex issues. They contribute lasting improvements to the structure which governs society by addressing those issues which undermine society. It is my desire to actively participate in this process, and I believe that law school will be the beginning of a new education which will equip me with the necessary mental tools to attain my goals.

Essay Two

My grandfather passed away during my sophomore year of high school. Oddly, the one thing I remember clearly about his passing is writing the obituary. As my mother and I sat and tried to write a statement that could sum up my grandpa's seventy years on earth in fifty words or less, we could not think of the words to describe the adversity he had overcome in his lifetime. Grandpa was survived by seven children and twenty grandchildren, of which I was the youngest. As a child, I looked up to my grandpa more than anyone else, and I admired his courage. I was his baby girl.

To this day, no one in our family really knows where our family came from. Grandpa worked in the coal mines as a child alongside his father. When he was thirteen years old, the mine collapsed killing his father, my great-grandfather. Shortly thereafter, my great grandmother abandoned her children. She left my grandpa, as the eldest child, to raise the others. Grandpa refused to talk about his mother. The only thing he would ever say was that she was an "ole' Indian squaw." Because he had to raise his brothers and sisters, grandpa received little formal education; yet, he eventually would own his own landscaping business. I respect my grandpa's adaptability and resourcefulness. He never had a lot of money, nor did my parents when I was young, but I never knew that because they always made sure I had whatever I needed to succeed. They were never afraid, or at least they did not show it. Their courage is something I respect, envy and strive to emulate.

As mentioned earlier, my grandpa was survived by twenty-seven people. Among all twenty-seven, plus my dad's family, I am the first to graduate from college. I am certainly the first to pursue a graduate degree. Being the first has its advantages and disadvantages. One definite advantage is that whenever I accomplish something new, whether it is making the dean's list or getting an internship, my family is excessively proud. Also, I have never been pressured to follow someone else's path. I am free to pursue my own goals and interests and no one else can judge me or claim that they did it better. On the down side, my entire college career has been filled with unknowns. I feel like I am constantly walking in shadows. In The Hollow Man, T .S. Elliot wrote "Between the idea / And the reality / Between the motion / And the Act / Falls the Shadow." It is that shadow, that unknown which is the biggest obstacle I faced when applying to college, during my undergraduate years and now applying to law school.

I began noticing the difficulty of being the first when I started applying to undergraduate programs. Neither my parents, nor anyone else I knew had gone through that process before, so they were unable to offer much advice. To make things more confusing, I moved from Texas to New Mexico during my junior year. My counselors did not know me well, and I did not feel comfortable asking teachers I had only known for a semester for recommendations. While filling out the applications I was a nervous wreck. I had never even heard of a personal statement before and did not know how to go about trying to actually write one. Throughout college I had other similar experiences. I was moving hundreds of miles from my parents, and I did not even know where I was going to live until three weeks before I moved to [...]. I was not aware you had to apply for on campus housing before you were even accepted to the University. Once classes started, I felt all alone at a very large school, so I decided to become involved in some student organizations. I quickly went from knowing no one to feeling like the campus had 5,000 students instead of 50,000. After four years, I finally graduated. Preparing for graduation was stressful. One of the best parts of my life was coming to an end. I had more family in town than most of my friends because everyone was so excited for me. The actual day of graduation was both stressful and wonderful, because I was the first.

I love having the recognition of being the first to do something, yet it often makes me feel pressured. I know my family is counting on me to succeed and to make the most of the opportunities I have been blessed with. However, I know my grandpa is always watching over me and guiding me wherever I may go. He always knew that I would excel at whatever I tried to do and was always encouraging. Although the challenges I face are nothing in comparison to the hardships of his life, I know he would be proud that I graduated from college and even happier to hear that I am going to go to law school. After all, he was the one who always told me I argued too much.

After law school, I hope to use my degrees and talents to continue stretching the boundaries. After working with the Travis County Felony Courts, I have decided to pursue a career in criminal justice. When I was younger I wanted to be the first female Attorney General. Janet Reno beat me to it, but there is always something new to accomplish. The most important thing I have learned in college is to always push myself. If I would have followed the easy road or only done the bare minimum, I would never have accomplished all that I have. I thank my Grandpa and my parents for teaching me that and demonstrating the courage that it takes to achieve more than what is expected.

Essay Three

The first time that I recall giving thought to the profession of law was during high school Latin class. I studied Latin during all four years of high school because it seemed more interesting than other languages as Latin involves not only the study of literature but also of history and mythology. I remember learning my freshman year that the second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius, was notable for giving the city its vaunted laws, thereby instituting order and civility in the area. Having lived in a law-abiding society all my life, I was very interested and a bit confused by this fact. How was it that a city existed without laws, and how does one bestow laws on a society? I had never given any thought to these questions, simply believing the laws of American society to be universal and unchangeable, but throughout the next four years of high school Latin, I learned as much as I could about the malleability of the laws of ancient Rome and the different processes by which the legal system operated under the monarchy, the republic, and the Empire. Latin class also taught me that the American legal system has many similarities with that of ancient Rome. While I enjoyed the literature and the mythology that dominated Latin class, the influence of ancient Romans on the modem legal system interested me the most.

In college, however, I majored in the eminently more practical field of economics, finding to my pleasure that economics was integrally tied to the legal system in ways that I found even more interesting. I focused on economics courses dealing with government and its influences, both positive and negative, on business, in America and internationally. In these classes, I learned how the actions of Microsoft were considered by some as anti-competitive and why airline mergers were blocked because of antitrust concerns, and I was excited to be able to explain these complexities to my family and friends. These courses helped me to refine my area of interest to the intersection between economics and law.

This interest has grown during my recent employment with [...], a Wall Street firm that handles securities cases for the world's largest insurers of directors, officers, and corporate liability. Through my paralegal work, I have learned a great deal about how concepts that I studied in my economics courses are rooted in the legal world. This position has cemented my desire to pursue a career in law.

Thus, at [...] School of Law, I hope to focus on business law. My primary interests at this point are antitrust and intellectual property, both of which I have studied briefly and hope to learn in more depth. I find these areas of law intriguing for their intricacies and ever-changing natures in the current economy, and I want to be a part of the legal system as it evolves to deal with new issues in antitrust and intellectual property. No longer the high school Latin student intent on learning about ancient Rome, I want to study legal questions that are changing the future of business in the city that is now the center of the world, New York.