BLOG | Carolina Luna Casas
Stepping Away from the “College Bubble”
June 7, 2019
During my time at Loyola, I have found myself consumed by the college bubble. This “bubble” can be described as a state of mind that revolves solely on college classes, work-study, extra curricular activities and other commitments presented to college students. This bubble is understandable since students are always busy with tests and essays and many other deadline driven tasks. I found myself so busy that I would forget to pause to remember the long-term goals I have for myself - those goals that do not necessarily have deadlines, like my papers, but require a gradual effort.
I am fortunate to have LAW SCHOOL...Sí Se Puede mentors because they have been in my shoes before. Therefore, their perspective now is one of an experienced insider, thus they can guide me as I navigate this foggy college bubble. My mentors guide me when they remind me to pause and consider the fact that it is unlikely that the present semester is going to be the nucleus of my future. Of course, they congratulate me for my hard work but they also challenge me to not let the college bubble obstruct me from my long-term goals.
One way in which my mentors challenged me to work towards my long-term goals was when my mentor Micah encouraged me to prepare for my study abroad plan. Even before I stepped foot on a college campus, I knew that I wanted to study abroad. I really enjoy learning about other cultures and engaging in different traditions, therefore study abroad seemed the perfect fit for me. I remember telling my mentor, Micah, that I wanted to study abroad my second semester of my junior year. For me, it felt as though this time was ages away, so I thought I could delay researching the available opportunities until another day.
However, Micah had another perspective. He encouraged me to immediately start looking into study abroad programs and scholarships. He must have read my mind because he also said something along the lines of “it might seem really early, but I wish that I had learned about study abroad opportunities sooner rather than later.” I took his advice and put a pause from my crazy midterms week to meet with a study abroad counselor. This meeting was incredibly informative! One of the most important aspects that I learned was that the deadlines for the different international scholarships were much earlier than I expected. If I had not had someone to remind me to take gradual steps toward my goal of studying abroad I would not have known this vital information. I am glad I have my LSSSP mentors to bring me back to reality and remind me of the importance of stepping away from the college bubble.
Impactful Experiences
October 18, 2016
I have had many experiences through LAW SCHOOL…Yes We Can (LSYWC) and they haveall been very impactful. One experience that really resonated with me was when I met with Judge Arguello and her talented friend Paula Black during my spring break. These two women who are certainly busy at all times took time out of their busy schedule to meet with me. We met at a coffee shop and had a great conversation about business, politics, LSYWC, but the best part about the conversation was that no matter what we talked about they always made me feel as if I was at their level. They respected my input and treated me as if I was as accomplished as they are. Their actions helped instill a confidence within me, which is not often done by many adults. Knowing that the people you respect also respect you is a great confidence booster.
Not only did they help me build my confidence but they also inspired me to continue working for my dreams. Judge Arguello did this when she said something along the lines of, “50 years ago we would not be able to be where we are now. Many people forget the difficulty women had to go through to change the social acceptance of career women especially for Latinas.” Judge Arguello and Paula Black were able to break the barriers that stopped Latinas from succeeding professionally. They are accomplished and have amazing reputations. But they do not stop there; they give students with barriers (like being first generation college students) the tools they need to succeed. They pushed through social barriers and now they are paying it forward to help us break those barriers.
I would have never thought that a young college freshman could have such an insightful conversation with two very strong and successful women. I was filled with such joy that I shared the experience with my mom. My mom said to me that she was so proud of me for surrounding myself with people that do whatever they can to help me succeed. That was when it clicked. LAW SCHOOL…Yes We Can is not only a mentoring program that describes what we must do to get into law school-—it is much more than that. It is a community that pushes us, the fellows, to be insightful, attentive, and passionate about life and our goals no matter what barriers may appear. It is a community of professionals who truly respect and care for our well being.
The dedication to the fellows is seen constantly through workshops, outings, and internship opportunities. Judge Arguello was a great advocate when trying to find internships for us that not only gave us exposure to the legal field but also paid us. I knew that I wanted legal experience this summer, but I also knew that I needed money to help my parents with finances. I planned on dedicating my week to an unpaid internship for experience and my free time to a retail job for the money. Luckily, I was able to have my weekends off because Judge Arguello found a paid internship opportunity for us, the Fellows, with JLT Specialty USA. I was incredibly excited about the prospect of receiving legal experience in a global insurance brokerage firm. I took my excitement to my computer and spent hours researching the company and writing my first cover letter. I followed the advice of Eric Bono, Assistant Dean for Career Opportunities at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, who was the volunteer presenter at a half day workshop on the importance of resumes and cover letters. A couple of days after my interview, I was notified that I had been chosen as the intern for JLT. I was beyond excited. I continue with my excitement as I write about my experience with JLT.
I really enjoyed my time interning for JLT. It was amazing to be surrounded by hardworking individuals who truly cared about the people they were serving. This experience opened my eyes to the different careers that can arise from a law degree. I learned that there is a huge industry in brokering insurance. Many of the brokers in this industry use their knowledge from law school to create reliable and lawful contracts for their clients. I also worked with the company’s legal team who taught me that a business cannot thrive without understanding and complying with the law. During my time with JLT, I was exposed to researching cases, collecting data, drafting briefs, and many other tasks I had never experienced before. It was a great experience because it was a good balance between working and learning. I learned how to be a valuable worker, but I also learned how to prepare for law school. My supervisor made the greatest impact on me because she gave me advice on what to think of when choosing a law school, how law school classes work, how to read a case, how to brief, and advice on what to do after law school. All of this was very helpful because it put into perspective what my future will actually entail. This experience helped me realize that my end goal is not just going to law school to learn about the law, rather that I am preparing myself to put the law into practice to make the world a much smoother and better place. I am immensely grateful to LSSSP and JLT for this opportunity and look forward to the continued success of our program.
Building Confidence
June 17, 2016
I have had many experiences through LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede and they have all been very impactful. One experience that really resonated with me was when I met with Judge Arguello and LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede board member, Paula Black, during my spring break. These two women, who are certainly busy at all times, took time out of their busy schedule to meet with me. We met at a coffee shop and had a great conversation about business, politics, LSSSP, etc., but the best part about the conversation was that, no matter what we talked about, they always made me feel as if I were at their level. They respected my input and treated me as if I were as accomplished as they are. Their actions helped instill a confidence within me, which is not often done by many adults. Knowing that the people you respect also respect you is a great confidence booster.
Not only did they help me build my confidence, but also, they inspired me to continue working to accomplish my dreams. Judge Arguello did this when she said something along the lines of, “Fifty years ago we would not be able to be where we are now. Many people forget the difficulty women had to go through to change the social acceptance of career women, especially for Latinas.” Judge Arguello and Paula Black were able to break the barriers that stopped Latinas from succeeding professionally. They are accomplished and have amazing reputations. But they do not stop there; they give students like me, who face obstacles such as being first generation college students, the tools we need to succeed. They pushed through social barriers and now they are paying it forward to help us break those barriers.
I would have never thought that a young college freshman could have such an insightful conversation with two very strong and successful women. I was so filled with joy afterward that I shared the experience with my mom. My mom said to me that she was so proud of me for surrounding myself with people that do whatever they can to help me succeed. That was when it clicked. LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede is not just a mentoring program that describes what we must do to get into Law School. It is much more than that. It is a community of that pushes us, to be insightful, attentive, and passionate about life and our goals no matter what barriers may appear. It is a community of professionals who truly respect and care for our well being. I am incredibly grateful for the program and look forward to growing as a member of that community.
“Sí, Se Puede” is a phrase born of farmworkers, who, under the leadership of the UFW, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, fought valiantly for equal protection under the law. As a result of the efforts of the UFW, “Sí, Se Puede” has become well known as a call that engenders hope and inspiration in those who face similar battles. We thank the UFW, whom we acknowledge to be the sole and exclusive owner of the Trademark SI SE PUEDE, for granting us a limited license to use“Sí, Se Puede” in connection with our efforts to recruit, in Colorado, students of Hispanic or Latino descent for our law school pipeline program. For more information about the programs offered by the UFW, please see UFW’s webpage (www.ufw.org); UFW Foundation’s webpage (www.ufwfoundation.org); and UFWF’s immigration services webpage (www.sisepuede.org)