Welcome to Leah's Blog! The Life of a 1L...
When I'm not busy with schoolwork, I try to stay active - and with such amazing weather and so many beautiful desert and mountain trails, there are lots of opportunities for me. I try to go running and hiking regularly, and I coach a soccer team in town. It has really helped me stay sane these past few months to get involved with the community and take advantage of what Tucson has to offer.
Hometown: Camden, Delaware
Undergraduate: Haverford College, Political Science with Environmental Studies concentration. Study abroad program in Morocco.
Before Law School: journalist (Delaware State News), conservation-focused AmeriCorps position based in Eugene, Oregon
Law School Activities: Community Service Board, Environmental Law Society, International Law Society
Busy, Busy, Busy
I’m not sure if this has developed as some sort of law school coping mechanism, or if I always possessed this trait, but I have recently started to realize that I thrive when I’m busy. Albeit, there are definitely times when I can think of nothing better than staking out a good spot on the couch and catching up on this season’s Modern Family episodes, but for the most part I really like to be doing something active. And thankfully, so, because recently I’ve been really, really busy.
I thought that this semester would be a little less hectic because I decided not to coach a team for the spring season, but apparently I have just found more things to take up my time. A law school friend and I have started going to a bootcamp-style workout class during the week; I’m tutoring a fifth-grader as part of the Lawyers for Literacy program; and I’ve been trying to attend the Arabic language film series on the undergraduate campus. Those commitments combined with the fact that we’re taking an extra class this semester compared with last means that nearly every minute of my day is taken up with class, an event, or studying. But for some reason... I love it.
And although I may have a busy schedule, I’m not letting that stop me from having fun in the more traditional sense. This weekend, I went to a masquerade ball in town with friends, ran a race at Old Tucson, and volunteered with the Community Service Board pulling buffelgrass (okay, so I’ll admit, pulling an invasive species might not sound like the most entertaining thing to do on a Saturday morning, but when you do it with really great company, it can be really fun!).
Posted by: Leah 04/16/2012 1:39 PM
One Semester Down
The end of last semester may have not been the dictionary definition of fun - it consisted of lots of hours logged at the library, many pages of textbooks read, and probably way too many cups of coffee - but the feeling when it was all over was pretty amazing. It was great to realize just how much we had learned in one semester and be able to express it during our finals. And then having a few weeks of winter break was an especially nice way to cap it all off.
Just last week we came back to campus to start our spring semester... and I know for myself anyway, it has been a little difficult to transition back to the school environment, although I am slowly becoming reacquainted with the library.
Despite the readjustment to starting a new semester, I really am excited to see where the next few months take us. We’re taking some interesting classes - Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law, Property, Writing, Research, and an elective (for me, it’s Immigration Law) - and we’re finding out about summer jobs. And I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Some friends and I kicked off the semester (and celebrated a friend’s birthday!) by taking a hot air balloon ride. It was a really fun way to get back into law school!
Posted by: Leah 04/16/2012 1:39 PM
Searching for that perfect sunset...
"Isn’t that the most beautiful sunset you’ve ever seen?" asks one of the four-year-olds on the soccer team I coach, at every practice. (And in Tucson, it might be the truth. The sunset over the mountains each evening seems better than the night before.) Any time that I start to feel stressed about law school, I think about her question, and realize that if I just take a breath and look for the sunset, I’ll remember the beauty in life.
And that has been really helpful this month. November for a 1L can be a little crazy - there are exams to begin studying for, projects due, practice oral arguments to give, and a summer job search to begin (a lot of applications are due on Dec. 1!). And my November has been no exception, sometimes it has felt like I just move from class, to the library, and back again, sometimes mixing it up with a trip to a coffee shop. But through it all, I’m realizing how much I’m learning, how close I’m getting to my classmates, and how happy I really am.
Posted by: Leah 04/16/2012 1:39 PM
My Life as a 1L
I really can’t believe that it’s November already. It still feels like it was just last week that I was trading the humidity of the East Coast for the summer heat of Tucson, showing up for orientation, meeting my small section, and starting classes. While my mind has had trouble grasping the change, the weather has taken note and the hot days of August have morphed into beautiful, crisp fall days. And while it may seem like just last week in my mind, when I think about all I’ve done since I’ve been here it actually seems like I must have been here for years.
To catch you up, I was assigned to Prof. Ratner’s small section, along with about 30 other amazing 1Ls. I really don’t think I could have asked for a better small section. My classmates are smart and friendly, and I really think we’ve formed a sort of family environment. We have our Contracts class with Prof. Ratner, and then we join with other small sections (that are also full of pretty incredible 1Ls) for Civil Procedure and Torts. We’re split into even smaller groups for our writing and research classes. Although I was beyond nervous the first day of class (and I’ll admit, I still feel my heart race a little when I’m cold-called now), I have realized that fear was (and is) unnecessary. Our professors want us to learn and they challenge us each day only to reach that end. In addition to class, over the past few months I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in a variety of events that the school and the city have to offer. I’ve gotten the chance to volunteer as part of a legal referral clinic, go camping with the Environmental Law Society, sit in on Arizona Supreme Court oral arguments, and go to a Tucson Padres’ game, among so many other things. And in the process, I have made some amazing friend. 1L year may be a lot of work, but it is a challenge I am very much enjoying.
It's been so helpful to have such a supportive small section. Here we are at a picnic at a local park.
Posted by: Leah 04/16/2012 1:39 PM