Justice for all

So…I’m graduating tomorrow! And I suppose that means that I need to write an obligatory blog post reflecting on my college years. As I sit in my bedroom packing all my belongings into two suitcases and two boxes (yet again), I can’t help but look back on the person I was when I stepped foot on Northwestern’s beautiful campus. I’ve changed and grown immensely in the past 4 years, and while I may never be fully content or satisfied with myself, I do think I’m proud of the woman I’ve transformed into through the course of my college experience.

And transformed, I think, is certainly the right word. As a freshman, I was shy, almost painfully so. I even tried to avoid taking discussion-based classes because I knew I’d be too afraid to open my mouth and contribute. I was also utterly confused about my professional interests and future career path. At first I chose to major in Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (MMSS), a program that was essentially an accelerated math and economics-focused major. I quickly realized it wasn’t right for me, and decided to take a political science class instead - Law in the Political Arena. I fell in love, and changed my majors to Political Science and Economics. Professionally, I tried to pursue finance at first - like every other clueless Economics major - but eventually realized that wasn’t my passion. While I’d always enjoyed volunteering, I’d never truly analyzed this impulse, nor had I realized that one could work full-time for a non-profit. This awareness, too, came with time.

While the classes I took certainly helped me discover what I wanted to pursue for my future career, I think I learned far more out of class. I took advantage of so many opportunities on and off campus. I reported for The Daily Northwestern, joined student volunteerism groups like OASIS, LIFT, and Campus Kitchens, studied abroad in London, traveled across Europe, attended trials in the Hague with the ICC Student Network, helped start a student-run microfinance and development institute, interned in New York, Geneva, and Chicago for human rights non-profits, lead our university’s chapter of Amnesty International, and wrote a Political Science senior thesis on international justice and reconciliation in Rwanda and Sierra Leone. In the past couple of years, I think I’ve learned as much (if not more) from blogging and tweeting, than from all my other more ‘formal’ extracurriculars put together!

The lesson I can impart is that what you do outside the classroom is truly what defines you. You can have academic debates all you want, but it is through student groups that you learn how to work as part of a team and how to manage others. It is through individual research experiences that you learn to choose and define your own research question, collect your own data, and come to your own conclusions. It is through your study abroad semester or year that you broaden your mindset, adopt new viewpoints, and dramatically expand your understanding of different cultures and the world as a whole. It is through summer internships that you discover your passion for a specific field (or lack thereof), learn the skills needed to succeed professionally, and embark on a fulfilling career path. I’ve learned so much from my involvement outside the classroom - particularly regarding what I wanted from my future career - and I only wish I had done even more!

People often say that a liberal arts education is simply not worth it - that it is too expensive, and too theoretical. It’s true that liberal arts degrees often don’t prepare you very well for the real world in terms of providing concrete vocational skills, but I have personally found it an invaluable experience. Being forced to speak out in class, participate in discussions, debate, think critically, conduct original research, write long and cohesive papers, and present a logical and strong argument have all helped me grow into someone more confident and more knowledgeable. I enjoyed my liberal arts education, and while it’s certainly not for everyone, I think it has certainly strengthened a number of my weaknesses.

The next step of my life will be centered around adjusting to a non-university atmosphere. My next challenge lies in going from a situation where I’m constantly engaged in intellectual debate and surrounded by five different activities to one in which I’ll be thoroughly focused on one thing: my job. Having a restless personality, I will likely take up side projects as well, but still - all my attention will be focused on work. So I certainly hope I love what I do! Another challenge will be figuring out my long-run career path. I am interested broadly in public interest law, but within that I am interested in immigrant rights (particularly immigrant detention), asylum law, civil legal aid, public defense, and international legal aid/access to justice work. This sounds like a wide range of areas, and it is, but I hope to more concretely explore these fields in the next few years, prior to law school.

I’ve grown and changed a lot throughout undergrad, and I think I’m happy with the person I am today - someone dedicated to social change and to advocating on behalf of poor and marginalized populations. That was not the person I was as a naive freshman, and this was not my philosophy at the time. However, I’ve arrived at this belief again, through my extracurricular activities, social media, and the people I’ve met passionate about similar work - not through anything I learned in school. I’m still figuring out which is the best route for me to achieve change and justice, but the fact that this is now what I’m fighting for means, hopefully, that I’m on my way to finding something more than a job or a career - a calling.

Thanks Northwestern for a great four years, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

I’ve read a lot of articles lately about Elena Kagan, who President Obama has recently nominated to the Supreme Court, and her incredible ambition. Her career path has been one of a single-minded focus on her ultimate career goal: becoming Supreme Court justice. Even at the young age of 17, she posed for her high school yearbook photo wearing a judge’s robe and cited a quote by another Supreme Court Justice, Felix Frankfurter.

But what has she had to give up for this career growth? Other than a few of her views on executive power and gay rights, it seems difficult to gain an understanding into her worldview. She’s made it a point, throughout her career, to put her career first and her ideologies second. Kagan has been very careful and calculated throughout her career. She’s been careful not to reveal too much about herself or express “radical” or unpopular opinions. So today, she’s (almost) achieved her childhood dream. You could say she’s achieved great success through a linearly defined and meteoric rise. Is such success worth being so withdrawn? Is it worth achieving greatness if you don’t make your mark on the world through your ideology? Ultimately, those people who make a difference are NOT those who remain silent, but those who do whatever it takes to achieve their vision of what the world should be like. Elena Kagan has done a lot of great things, but I wouldn’t venture to say she’s changed the world (yet): she doesn’t express any ideology that drives her to do what she does. Instead, all we see is pursuit of a career goal.

But, I wonder what will be said of today’s young social media gurus: all of us, the next generation of leaders. For those of us who express our opinions frankly all over the Internet, and are even willing to look like an idiot in order to stand by our beliefs, how is our Internet presence going to affect our future careers? If Elena Kagan had grown up today, would she have such a clear record, or would you find her opinions and thoughts strewn over the social web — Twitter, Facebook, blogging, or even something as innocuous as Google Reader? In today’s world, is it even possible to guard your views so carefully, or is it simply too hard to resist the pull of social media?

Our generation leaves behind a clear paper trail behind of our political and economic views, our passions, our likes and dislikes, mundane information like what we had for breakfast, and even who we’re dating. Nowadays, nothing is sacred. Privacy is dead. I’m pretty open but I draw the line at a certain point; many go much further, splashing the intimate details of their personal lives all over their blogs. Years later, how many of us will be looking back on our past posts and thinking: “I wish I hadn’t blogged or tweeted about that!” For those of us who will eventually enter politics or any prominent positions, how will our online personas shape the way we’re perceived? The next generation of politicians, corporate leaders, non-profit executives, and supreme court justices will undoubtedly have a much harder time keeping their views a secret.

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with transparency. In fact, I love it. But, transparency CAN ruin careers if there is not enough tolerance among the general public. If you’re running for or taking on any public post (or even a prominent corporate/non-profit role), you certainly don’t want to leave behind a list of blog posts that offend people who you want to appeal to - whether they are voters, consumers, or donors.

But, at the same time, I don’t think I’d ever want to choose a career which required me to hide my views. Because I shape my career around my views. I would never take on a role if it doesn’t mesh perfectly with my passions, my views, and my ideology. The way I look at the world, the injustices I observe around me, and my political views are not separate from my career. They ARE my career. It seems to me that social media, by expressing who you really are, also holds you accountable: it forces you to align your online self with the choices you make in real life. It forces you to stay true to yourself because now — hundreds are watching. Social media makes it more difficult to be a professional hypocrite. So, I see nothing wrong with expressing my views fully and unabashedly. After all, if a job requires me to hide my passions or change my political views — I sure as hell don’t want it! (Let’s just hope I never regret these words…)

What do you think about online transparency in our generation and our future career paths, particularly in politics? Would you hide your views if it meant getting ahead in your career? Or do you shape your career around who you are?

We’re overeducated and underexperienced, when really it should be the other way around.

It’s a pity - and a case of misallocated resources - considering higher education is getting more and more expensive while salaries are not really keeping up in these economic times.

I keep hearing advice from people: get this Master’s degree, or that Ph.D. Recently, I spoke with an incredible lawyer who told me to get not just a law degree, but a MPP (Master’s in Public Policy) as well. I said, “That is so expensive! I’d rather get as few degrees as possible.” She said, “It’s only a year more, and it’ll be incredibly valuable if you ever want to work on international issues or policy.”

Needless to say, I was skeptical. True, I agree that an MPP would be helpful, but it is by no means necessary. The idea of doing multiple graduate degrees frightens the hell out of me. I’ve enjoyed my undergraduate education here at Northwestern, but I’m ready to get out and get into the real world. I’ve had enough of theory, and I want to put whatever I’ve learned into practice. And I think that I’ll stick to what I told the attorney — I’ll save the money and mental energy, and probably take the law degree alone in three years, thank you very much. Even three years for law school seems a bit much, in my opinion. The majority of our country’s politicians and policymakers don’t have law degrees and MPP’s — I think I’ll take my chances.

In my opinion, much of what you learn in many Master’s degrees isn’t necessary for career success or progress. Only the few professional degrees, such as law, medicine, or business, equip you with skill sets - things you can’t learn on your own. Master’s degrees in most other areas strike me as unnecessary as most of what you need to know can be picked up on the job in the majority of fields other than law, medicine, pharmacy, engineering, college-level teaching, or computer science (I am sure I’ve forgotten other careers that require graduate study - enlighten me if I have).

The vast majority of my friends are going to graduate school immediately after finishing their degree at Northwestern. My friends are doing medical degrees along with Master’s degrees; J.D.s along with M.B.A.’s; Ph.D.s along with public policy degrees. It seems to me that the days of having just one graduate degree are long gone.

I was surprised to realize that only a small percentage of my friends are planning to work prior to graduate school. I’m also surprised at how many students I know - many of them juniors or seniors - have never actually held a full-time internship. As a result, many students don’t know what they like, what type of work they want to do, or what is needed to succeed in the professional world. Because they have no idea what to do or how to go about entering the workforce, they decide to go back to school. “I’m good at writing, so I should go to law school… and then I’ll be guaranteed a high paying job, right?” they say. The short answer: ….no!

We have become dependent on higher education to boost our lacking self esteems. We feel we need to go back to school because we lack the confidence to enter the “real world.” Well, I have news for you. We don’t need people with 10 degrees to run this world and make it a better, more efficient place. More importantly, having 10 degrees doesn’t qualify you to do anything but study.

We need to stop our culture of higher education dependency and go back to the basics. Going back to school won’t solve your sense of inadequacy; jumping into the real world, getting a job, and doing tons of internships will.  The only way to become an expert in your field is to start working and to begin actually doing things, not hiding behind the banner of prestige that you gain from your graduate degree(s).

If you want to get places in your career, get your nose out of the books and get into the “real world.” Now.

Today, more and more young people are finding service-oriented careers attractive. Indeed, there is a seismic generational shift underway. Generation Y is breaking with the tradition of paying one’s dues and climbing the corporate ladder; instead, Millennials seek to find work that they are passionate about, that reflects their values, and that brings deep meaning to their lives. Our generation places a greater emphasis on public service.

Unfortunately, the majority of graduates from our nation’s top law schools aren’t jumping on this bandwagon. Many enter law school with the desire to contribute to social change. Bright-eyed and imbued with idealism, they hope to use their legal skills to advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in society. But research has indicated that two-thirds of those who enter law school with an interest in the public sector do not end up in that line of work. Instead, most law students are influenced by the competitive environment of law school, and tend to forget the reason they decided to become lawyers in the first place.

The statistics are depressing – but not surprising; the vast majority of law school graduates are not using their incredible talents for social change. In 2008, 74% of law graduates from Northwestern joined corporate law firms, while only 7% entered the field of public interest law. At Stanford, 61% joined law firms, and about 10% joined government and public interest organizations. Even worse, 82% of University of Chicago law graduates began working with private law firms, with only 2% entering the field of government and public interest law!

The reality is that tuition for one year of law school is generally over $40,000 – which is about the same as an entire year’s salary for public defenders or legal aid lawyers. While law schools do have loan repayment programs, they are often very strict in their terms and many public interest lawyers find themselves unable to benefit as much as they had hoped. On the flip side, the average starting salary for corporate lawyers is generally over $130,000. Law firms also recruit aggressively at law schools, and students find themselves with several job offers in hand by fall of their third year; public interest employers face a disadvantage because non-profits hire on an ad-hoc basis and many do not have a strong campus presence during recruitment time. By the end of law school, most students put their idealistic dreams on the backburner for the time being, and decide to take on a stable corporate job for a few years in order to pay off their loans.

Due to skyrocketing tuition costs and the competitive recruitment atmosphere, law schools are practically forcing graduates to join law firms at a time when we need more public interest lawyers than ever. Domestically, we must dramatically reform malfunctioning criminal justice and immigration systems, and narrow the growing gap between rich and poor. A 2009 study by the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) reports that about 50% of individuals seeking help are turned away due to lack of resources. Nationally, only one legal aid attorney is available for almost 6,500 low-income individuals. Abroad, we need international human rights lawyers to combat torture, lack of access to justice, poverty, war crimes, and gender-based violence.

Ultimately, graduates from America’s elite law schools come from the most privileged echelon of society and are equipped with the skills necessary to become leaders in the fight for social justice. Gen Y lawyers need to step up and play a larger role in solving some of the most critical social problems of our time. But in order to bring back the tradition of public interest lawyering, law schools must lead the front lines of the battle by ratcheting up the financial, intellectual, and practical support available for law students interested in public service careers.

Currently, it takes courage and willpower to resist societal norms and give up prestige, respect, wealth, and power to be a public interest lawyer. We need to work towards a world where a public interest legal career does not involve sacrifice – but instead, where serving our fellow citizens is considered the norm, rather than the anomaly.

I recently ran across an excellent post by Rosetta Thurman, in which she writes about the importance of developing a personal mission statement. I absolutely loved the idea; organizations and companies all have mission statements - why can’t individuals? A mission statement is intended to ensure that non-profits always stay true to their original goals and values - and the same effect can apply to people. She quotes Dumb Little Man, who defines a personal mission statement as:

Your personal mission statement should be a concise representation of what’s most important to you, what you desire to focus on, what you want to achieve, and, ultimately, who you want to become. In its purest form, it’s an approach to your life, one that allows you to identify a focus of energy, creativity, and vision in living a life in support of your inner-most beliefs and values. Also remember that your mission will change over time as you and your life change.

Rosetta writes that your personal mission statement should include both your values and your goals - personal and professional. After all, it’s the combination of both that will lead to a fulfilling work-life balance and career. Particularly if you tend to be confused or unclear about what you seek in your career (as I sometimes am), creating a concise personal mission statement can provide clarity and help you distill your broad ideas and hopes into a more concrete statement. A mission statement can help guide you towards a job or opportunity that is a better fit, or help you keep in mind who you truly are when choosing between confusing options for the future. It can also provide motivation to keep trying until your personal and professional life aligns perfectly with your individual “mission.”

Here’s my mission statement:

I value achievement, education, challenges, and thinking big. I love being surrounded by people every day; I love being part of a team of dedicated, motivated, passionate, hardworking, and creative individuals. I value spending time with my loved ones, and having a healthy work-life balance - with personal time to read, learn, and smell the roses. I seek a life as a learner, but more importantly a do-er who puts ideas into practice. I am most fulfilled when I feel that I’ve made a tangible and direct positive impact on people’s lives. I love work that involves writing, working in teams, speaking with people, and creative thinking. I seek the perfect mixture of adventure and stability. Professionally, my goals are to combine innovation and law, and to show that law can be a tool for empowering people and creating positive social change. Before I die, I hope to have made a significant and measurable impact on the lives of the poor and marginalized in the U.S. and abroad, to have served as an advocate and public interest lawyer, to successfully lead and expand an organization with an innovative and effective approach to increasing access to justice, to play a role in policymaking, and to contribute to scholarly work through writing and speaking. I seek success and want to find a calling, not just a job. I want to help inspire and build the next generation of public interest lawyers. At the same time, I refuse to give up on my values and dreams of family and stability.

What’s yours? Post your personal mission statement in the comments!