Guilty! As the gavel hit the judge’s desk, my time as a juror had come to an end. Throughout the month-long capital murder trial in May 2019, I gained valuable insight into the judicial process. This was especially evident during the jury deliberation when I saw first-hand how people interpreted the same facts differently. Following my selection for the jury, I did what any other person would do in that situation: watched “12 Angry Men” to prepare. Throughout my time serving on the jury, I stayed true to my oath. When I was home, I would not answer any of the questions my girlfriend would ask me about the trial. It got to the point where she was getting ready to make me sleep on the couch, but I did not want my opinion to be swayed. I needed to make sure that I would make my decisions based solely on what I heard in the courtroom. While I watched all the different aspects of the trial come together, I gained a lot of respect for the legal system and the work that goes into ensuring that defendants receive a fair trial. Furthermore, I was inspired by each attorneys’ flexibility during cross-examinations. While an attorney may have a general idea of the line of questioning the other attorney may present to a witness, they have to be flexible and be able to think quickly to get the most out of each witness. I began to picture myself in their shoes. When the questioning finished and the attorneys gave their closing arguments, we started our deliberation as a split jury. We went around the room, giving our thoughts and renditions about what unfolded. We all came together, from different backgrounds and differing opinions, and civilly discussed our opinions. Playing out the trial situation showed me this was something I am capable of and had me wanting to learn more about the law. Reflecting upon this experience, my interest in criminal law began to sprout and my desire to attend law school was confirmed. Consistently during the trial, I kept thinking back to the Business Law class I took while at the University of Missouri. This class was when I first thought about pursuing a law degree. While much of the contract lingo did not translate over to a capital murder trial, everything we learned about the trial process did and it was great to see it unfold in person. My professor was extremely passionate and it rubbed off on me. This was the first class where I truly looked forward to each lesson and would often read ahead. The contract portion of the class resonated with me. We learned about the makeup of contracts and even played out some mock negotiation processes in class. I enjoyed reading other people and determining what I would need to compromise on to get the best deal possible for my fake company. My goal was always to not give up too much and keep the scales tipped in my favor. When the semester was over and the class was done, I thought about becoming a corporate lawyer. Ultimately, following graduation, I decided I wanted to get some experience and ensure that law is right for me. Following this path, I accepted a position at alliantgroup, a tax consulting firm in Houston, TX. During my two and a half years at alliantgroup, I gained a lot of experience reviewing contracts and analyzing the tax code to maximize benefits for our clients. Working with contracts validated my desire to pursue law school. I gained first-hand experience in some aspects of tax law and found the complex problem-solving to be mentally stimulating and rewarding. The more experience I gained, the more my interest in tax law grew. I took the opportunity to talk to my attorney coworkers about their law school experiences and work with them on some of their projects. They provided me with some valuable advice for success in law school and beyond and further cemented my decision to pursue law school. My plan was set. I was going to continue to work for another year to save up money and apply for the Fall 2021 cycle. Unfortunately, COVID began and put these plans in doubt. I decided a global pandemic was not the right time to give up a financially-stable job and thus, put my law school aspirations on hold. After watching many of my family and friends get diagnosed with COVID throughout the year, I realized that I should not put my dreams on hold any longer as tragedy can strike at any moment. Finally, in October 2020, I put in my two weeks’ notice and went all-in on my law school journey. I want to attend the University of Houston Law Center to acquire the skills and legal knowledge to make me a successful lawyer. UHLC’s top-ranked tax law program and Blakely Advocacy Institute are two of the main reasons I want to attend. Building on top of my experience from alliantgroup with the UHLC tax law program will put me on a fast track to success. Furthermore, I can bring my experience into the classroom and provide real-world examples to further discussions during class. During my time in Houston, I have met many UHLC alumni who have spoken very highly of the program overall, but more specifically the tax law program. Additionally, the future of the program as a whole looks bright with the construction of the new John M. O’Quinn Law Building. The modern research space and practice courtrooms will enhance learning opportunities. Finally, my goals following graduation are to work in the city of Houston and help make the city better. The UHLC’s Career Development Office paired with the networking opportunities from the large alumni base in the Houston area, will give me the best opportunity to achieve these goals.