Grad's guide to graduate admissions essays - Colleen Reding 2015
University of Florida Levin college of law
Law
It was at the age of 13 that I was finally allowed to accompany my mother to work. I had difficulty containing my excitement in the days leading up to that morning when we finally left together to embark on our journey. This was it, I remember thinking, my rite of passage.
Driving up to the ominous looking building where I was to spend my day, my feeling of triumph proved ephemeral, as apprehension took its place. I hesitantly followed through what seemed to be a never-ending series of hallways and security codes, until I was informed that we had arrived. As my mother held the door open for me, I crossed the threshold that would open my eyes to a new reality—one that would have an impact on the rest of my life.
I was surprised that the first person I saw, as I looked around, was a girl my own age. She had several bruises and her eye was swollen shut, and I immediately understood that she was a victim of domestic violence. This realization that someone my own age had been physically abused overwhelmed me with a shock I had never experienced. I must have been led away from the scene, but my body felt paralyzed and I did not realize I was moving. The image of the wound on the girl’s face preoccupied all my other thoughts.
My mother worked at a shelter that protected women and families from domestic abuse. Her primary role was providing legal counseling to the families who had been subjected to domestic assault, drafting orders of protection against their perpetrators and defending them in court. In her spare time, she volunteered at the shelter and raised funds that were necessary to sustain it as a nonprofit organization.
“Are you feeling alright?” my mother asked. With these words, my epiphany was brought to a halt with a lacerating force. I was now standing in a new room with new people, all of whom had looks of concern on their faces as they stared down at me. I had been too consumed by my thoughts to realize that I had even moved. Now finding it hard to articulate words, let alone answer the question, silence permeated the room as everyone waited for my response. My mother asked again if I was OK, and if I still wanted to help.
I wanted to help more than ever. Face to face with the horrors of domestic abuse, I wanted to do all that was in my power to make a difference. I began regularly volunteering at the shelter, a decision that exposed me to not only the tragedies of domestic abuse, but also how the shelter was able to help so many people. It was when I entered high school that I was given the opportunity to expand my personal commitment to help. Using the resources at my school, I started a student interest group and organized fundraisers to support and raise awareness for domestic abuse. It gave me a sense of accomplishment that I was able to help the shelter and inspire others to do the same.
My life took a drastic turn when my mother suddenly became sick and passed away when I was 17. In the wake of the tragedy, I was able to find a silver lining, although it was difficult to do so at first. The experience made me a stronger person and forced me to reconsider much that I had previously taken for granted. My mother had been my role model, but even so, I had never truly recognized the extent of what she had accomplished both in her professional and personal life until she was gone. She had touched others’ lives, including my own, and she had done so through her work, benevolence, and commitment. Honing her practice of law to protect women and children who were victims of domestic abuse, my mother had not only salvaged the low-funded organization to provide a comfortable refuge for the families, but also defended their rights and safety through her legal advocacy. Although I had known all along that I respected her work, I now realized that I wanted to follow in her footsteps and continue her legacy.
I like to think that I have begun to do so. My experiences working at the shelter first introduced me to the importance of social work and generated an interest that would stay with me for the rest of my life. When I entered Georgetown, I began working at the university’s Center for Social Justice in order to further this interest, an experience that has provided me various opportunities to become involved in not-for-profit programs—from tutoring in low-income public schools in the District of Columbia to serving on a student panel that promotes philanthropy and tolerance. I hope through doing social work I am having a meaningful impact on others’ lives, just as my role model had done her whole life. I have learned that life is simply too short and too fleeting to do otherwise. With this perspective, I have expanded my horizons, a development that has allowed me to be appreciative of how fortunate I have been, and with that, how important it is to help others who are not as fortunate.
With my graduation rapidly approaching, I see law school as the next step on my horizon. My interest in law is due to my exposure to what legal advocacy can accomplish. I hope to one day become a public interest lawyer, providing legal services to public or government agencies. I know that I will always have an interest in social work, and specifically fighting against domestic violence, and so I hope that with a law degree I will be given that much greater of an opportunity to make a difference and address the multitude of injustices that exist in our society.