Who I will be as a lawyer is largely informed by who I have been as a musician; someone who collaborates with individuals from all backgrounds, ages, and beliefs to create a product that has the power to change the lives of those who listen. In an ensemble, every individual plays a part, and every part is equally important. Learning how to listen to and build relationships with people whose backgrounds and experiences differ from my own has been a theme in my life and has shaped my understanding of what true service requires. During my undergraduate years, I loved music but knew that I was not going to chase a career in performance. I felt uneasy working towards a goal that I could not see, but I filled my mind with scripture and knew that taking small faith-filled steps would lead me where God wanted me to go. I now know that the skills I acquired during my time studying music will contribute to extreme attention to detail and focus in law school. I hope to surround myself with peers who remain true to their values while empathizing with new perspectives. My collective experiences have prepared me to step confidently into unknown territory, both socially and academically. I have established a practice of plugging myself into volunteer programs to help individuals that feel lost and neglected. Volunteering with the Refugee House in Tallahassee has given me insight into what it means to be a domestic violence survivor. Surviving does not mean returning to who one was before the abuse occurred. The women I have helped are permanently affected by their experiences and it takes years to rewire their brains out of a constant state of fear. In extreme cases, every door slam, raised voice, and instance of physical touch brings back painful memories. To champion these survivors is to offer a place for them to recover, and to offer the resources to help them rewire their thought patterns. This could be self-help books, therapy sessions, and even just offering a listening ear. I aspire to merge my educational background and my future in law to protect and encourage clients. A legal education will allow me to turn my well-intentioned aspirations into a professional with an official voice. The intricacies of my bachelor’s in music have taught me to enjoy organization, precision, and ironing even the smallest of details, which are skills I will call upon during my time law school. The Forever90 Scholarship will support my journey through law school and facilitate my becoming a light to clients who might never have received the compassion I am ready to give. I know that no matter the makeup of my class, my strong sense of identity and genuine support of my peers will allow me to build and maintain strong relationships with peers and faculty during my time at SMU Dedman School of Law. I have learned that the excitement of learning is futile if it cannot be used to benefit others, and I am ready to use my unique set of skills to face the challenges of law school and contribute to the legal community.

Music is the gift that God has given me. I began learning to play the violin at the ripe age of three. Though I enjoyed the violin, I absolutely fell in love with the French horn in middle school. I would lose all track of time in the practice room as I explored the sounds and capabilities of the instrument. I longed for the skills and endurance that my older peers showcased, and I worked as hard as I could to match them. My drive and determination persisted throughout my high school years. By my senior year of high school, I was performing with such proficiency to be ranked fourth in the state. This led to a performance in Carnegie Hall and entrance into multiple universities on talent-based scholarships. Becoming a music major felt like the next logical step. However, I had a feeling that a career in performance was not my calling. A sole focus on how to improve my playing, my network, and my performance left me unfulfilled. Taking my faith with me into college, I did not know where I was headed. I loved music but knew that I was not going to chase a career in performance. I felt uneasy working towards a goal that I could not see, but I filled my mind with scripture and knew that taking small faith-filled steps would lead me where God wanted me to go. Entering my junior year at Florida State, I leaned into the inclination I had towards law. A conversation with my advisor led to my enrollment in a graduate-level course focusing on the intersection of music and law. The professor of the course was a practicing intellectual property lawyer, and he was passionate about the course material. I looked forward to the lectures and was eager to share the concepts with my peers outside of class. To my surprise, my classmates did not experience the same exhilaration with the project. Being composers and performers, they expressed that they enrolled in the course to learn how to protect their compositions and recordings, which they considered invaluable. They were overwhelmed and unexcited by the rules and complexities of the law, whereas that was my favorite part. I was able to clearly articulate the conditions of our in-class deals by compiling and reformulating my peer’s ideas. This experience helped me define a vision for my future. I realized that I could combine my passions into a career which required my unique strengths. I aspire to merge my background in music and my future in law to protect and encourage clients. Many talented artists lack access to affordable legal guidance, which leaves them vulnerable to unfair agreements and lost ownership of work. A legal education will allow me to turn my well-intentioned aspirations into a professional with an official voice. The intricacies of music have taught me to enjoy organization, precision, and ironing even the smallest of details, which are skills I will call upon during my time law school. The Arthur and Elana Panos Scholarship will support my journey through law school and help me strengthen the relationship between law and music. I look forward to bringing my faith into my practice and showing compassion to clients who might never have experienced the love of God. I have learned that the excitement of learning is futile if it cannot be used to benefit others, and I am ready to use my unique set of skills to face the challenges of law school and contribute to the legal community.

My faith is embodied in my habits. I can best reflect Jesus when I am taking care of myself, loving those around me, and keeping up with my disciplines. I do not believe that I am called to shout and force my beliefs onto others. I believe I am called to live out my faith as it is described in 1 Peter 3: to “turn from evil and do good”, to “seek peace and pursue it”, and to “revere Christ as Lord”. To live a life of such goodness, defined by respect, honor and gentleness, that people can’t help but to stop and ask why. And when they ask, I will be open and willing to share the foundation of my life, and the reason for my hope. Living out my faith in this way will offend some, namely, those I am trying to reach. Unbelievers naturally view life from a different lens. As it pertains to pro-life, most atheists simply believe that we live and then we die. If this is true, then life is less precious and more centered on the self. On the contrary, the Christian believes that our bodies were created to look like God. We are created in his image, and therefore we look like God. To state it in another way; when we see God, He will look familiar to us, and that helps us understand why there is such an attack on the human body. Self-image, self-criticism, and even the unborn body are common attacks from the enemy. If Christians believe that our bodies are sacred to God and women’s bodies are created to produce life, then we will give of our life to save another’s. This is why I am pro-life. Because I believe God values each life as much as another. God can (and has) used one individual’s “mistake” for his glory and to benefit those he loves. My faith impacts my entire life, including my future goals. I believe God has gifted me with an intentional combination of compassion and rationalism, so I can put myself into another’s shoes while maintaining a solution-oriented perspective. He has led me to the legal field and to the SMU School of Law. I applied to nineteen law schools and have been met with overwhelming success from those applications, however there is an undeniable calling for me to move to Dallas and receive my legal education from a Christ-oriented, highly regarded institution. Learning about laws which impact women and what I can do to protect all stages of life will enable me to make small changes that have great impact. I aspire to merge my faith and my education to protect and encourage clients. A legal education will allow me to turn my well-intentioned aspirations into a professional with an official voice. My bachelor’s degree in music has taught me to enjoy organization, precision, and ironing even the smallest of details, which will contribute to my success during law school. The Natalie Joy Poremski Scholarship will support my journey through law school and facilitate my becoming a light to clients who might never have received the compassion I am ready to give. I have learned that the excitement of learning is futile if it cannot be used to benefit others, and I am ready to use my unique set of skills to face the challenges of law school and contribute to the legal community.

Music has always been important to me. I began learning to play the violin at the ripe age of three. Though I enjoyed the violin, I absolutely fell in love with the French horn in middle school. I would lose all track of time in the practice room as I explored the sounds and capabilities of the instrument. I longed for the skills and endurance that my older peers showcased, and I worked as hard as I could to match them. My drive and determination persisted throughout my high school years. By my senior year of high school, I was performing with such proficiency to be ranked fourth in the state. This led to a performance in Carnegie Hall and entrance into multiple universities on talent-based scholarships. Becoming a music major felt like the next logical step. However, I had a feeling that a career in performance was not my calling. A sole focus on how to improve my playing, my network, and my performance left me unfulfilled. Entering my junior year at Florida State, I leaned into the inclination I had towards law. A conversation with my advisor led to my enrollment in a graduate-level course focusing on the intersection of music and law. The professor of the course was a practicing intellectual property lawyer, and he was passionate about the course material. I looked forward to the lectures and was eager to share the concepts with my peers outside of class. The final project consisted of composing and negotiating a record deal. I found joy and satisfaction in applying the rules and patterns of the subject matter to the “real-world” project. To my surprise, my peers did not experience the same exhilaration with the project. Being composers and performers, they expressed that they enrolled in the course to learn how to protect their compositions and recordings, which they considered invaluable. They were overwhelmed and unexcited by the rules and complexities of the law, whereas that was my favorite part. I was able to clearly articulate the conditions of our deal by compiling and reformulating my peer’s ideas. That experience opened my eyes to the reality that many musicians refrain from publishing their works because they don't know how to protect their compositions. I aspire to merge my background in music and my future in law to protect and encourage clients. Many talented artists lack affordable legal guidance, which leaves them vulnerable to unfair agreements and lost ownership of work. A legal education will allow me to turn my well-intentioned aspirations into a professional with an official voice. The Jeffrey J. Douglas First Amendment Scholarship will support my journey through law school and help me strengthen the relationship between law and music. I have learned that the excitement of learning is futile if it cannot be used to benefit others, and I am ready to use my unique set of skills to face the challenges of law school and contribute to the legal community.

Music has always been important to me. I began learning to play the violin at the ripe age of three. Though I enjoyed the violin, I absolutely fell in love with the French horn in middle school. I would lose all track of time in the practice room as I explored the sounds and capabilities of the instrument. I longed for the skills and endurance that my older peers showcased, and I worked as hard as I could to match them. My drive and determination persisted throughout my high school years. By my senior year of high school, I was performing with such proficiency to be ranked fourth in the state. This led to a performance in Carnegie Hall and entrance into multiple universities on talent-based scholarships. Becoming a music major felt like the next logical step. However, I had a feeling that a career in performance was not my calling. A sole focus on how to improve my playing, my network, and my performance left me unfulfilled. Entering my junior year at Florida State, I leaned into the inclination I had towards law. A conversation with my advisor led to my enrollment in a graduate-level course focusing on the intersection of music and law. The professor of the course was a practicing intellectual property lawyer, and he was passionate about the course material. I looked forward to the lectures and was eager to share the concepts with my peers outside of class. The final project consisted of composing and negotiating a record deal. I found joy and satisfaction in applying the rules and patterns of the subject matter to the “real-world” project. During my undergraduate years at Florida State, I have had the opportunity to benefit from FSU’s strategic location in Tallahassee. I work for Kristin Adamson as a family law firm a runner and receptionist. This experience has further solidified my desire to practice law and has given me confidence in my professional competency. When handling client interactions, my unique background and skillsets work to my advantage. My well-trained ear allows me to detect subtle nuances and shifts in tone when discussing emotional subjects, which is especially helpful in navigating sensitive family matters over the phone. I am able to remain empathetic and composed while moving in a forward direction. In law school, these skills will help me meaningfully engage in classroom discussions and experiential learning opportunities. I aspire to merge my background in music and my future in law to protect and encourage clients. Many talented artists lack access to affordable legal guidance, which leaves them vulnerable to unfair agreements and lost ownership of work. A legal education will allow me to turn my well-intentioned aspirations into a professional with an official voice. The intricacies of music have taught me to enjoy organization, precision, and ironing even the smallest of details, which are skills I will call upon during my time law school. LegalMatch's scholarship will support my journey through law school and help me strengthen the relationship between law and music. I have learned that the excitement of learning is futile if it cannot be used to benefit others, and I am ready to use my unique set of skills to face the challenges of law school and contribute to the legal community.