Georgetown university law center - Transfer application - Law

Grad's guide to graduate admissions essays - Colleen Reding 2015

Georgetown university law center - Transfer application
Law

I always go beyond the “extra mile.” As a marathon runner, when the task calls for determination and commitment, I go the full 26.2. Challenging myself and working hard for my goals takes me out of my comfort zone and into the greater world, and delving into the world around me ultimately led to my passion for women’s empowerment work in developing countries. My experiences so far in law school reinforced my desire to work for women’s rights, and I want to transfer to Georgetown University so I am best able to prepare myself to be part of the global effort for change.

As I considered international development work as a career, I wanted to better understand how progress in poorer countries worked, so I decided to experience it firsthand. I joined the Peace Corps, moved to the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific, and began life in one of the more remote villages in the country. I knew that I would face more hardships living in a remote area, but I would get a better insight into the Tongan way of life than if I stayed in a bigger town.

While living on an island with 350 Tongans and no other foreigners, I became more than a bystander to life in a developing country; I became part of the community and culture. When I was not teaching at the local primary school, I was often with the women, helping them finish their tasks of cooking and cleaning, washing and weaving. From these daily interactions, I learned about the women’s lives, and I heard their stories, both good and bad. Women told me of spousal abuse, teenage girls marrying for a financially secure future, and coerced marriages. I saw that, to improve these women’s lives, they needed a voice in the community and for that they needed education and economic opportunities. Several of my projects worked to give women and girls the education and financial strength to be independent.

One of these projects was directing my island group’s week-long girls’ leadership camp. The national director of the camp asked me to organize the camp in my area, not just for my leadership and organizational skills, she said, but also because I knew how to work within the Tongan culture. As I began planning, I decided I did not want to simply repeat last year’s camp. From my experiences in my village, I knew how important this camp was to giving girls their independence. This camp would be the first, and perhaps the only, opportunity many girls would have to discuss issues such as women’s rights, domestic violence, alcoholism, and career opportunities. Because the camp could truly make an impact, camp planners and I decided to double the camp’s size and create a framework to make the camp sustainable by making it entirely Tongan run.

In particular, working with community leaders, I formed a local planning team that would be involved in each step of the planning and implementation process and therefore would be prepared to lead the camp in the future. My team and I created a budget and led the necessary domestic and international fundraising efforts so girls could attend the camp regardless of their families’ financial situations. People often did not understand the idea of a sleep-away camp, much less “girls’ leadership,” but we convinced parents to allow their daughters to attend by earning the support of influential community members.

The results of the camp proved the challenges worthwhile. At the closing ceremony, the girls performed plays that they wrote about what they had learned and eagerly talked of helping plan the next year’s camp. High school principals started sexual health classes after seeing the importance of this information during the camp. One of our counselors even returned to high school to finish her degree. Our campers, almost half the 13- to 14-year-old girls on the islands in the area, are now better able to reach their goals and provide for themselves.

Choosing to push myself further and going beyond the “extra mile” got me involved in the Tongan culture, brought me to the women of Tonga, and led to our success at the girls’ leadership camp. Although I had always supported women’s rights, only through hands-on participation did I realize I want this to be the focus of my life’s work. My experiences and dedication will take me further than the “extra mile” throughout my career, and Georgetown will take me further in my work for women’s empowerment in developing countries.

I look forward to taking advantage of all Georgetown University offers to progress women’s rights. Meaningful change comes from experience and knowledge. From working at the Women’s Human Rights Clinic to learning from professors who are active in the work I intend to do, Georgetown will give me that experience and knowledge to truly make a difference. Success in women’s empowerment requires dedication for the long run, and I am ready for that marathon.