When I applied to Case Western’s Law School program, I had no intention of getting in. It was the highest-ranked law school I applied to, their average LSAT score was 162 and mine was 148 (which wasn’t even close to their 25th percentile); the school was truly out of my league. In all honesty, I only applied there because of Case’s stunning reputation and because they sent me fee waivers. In total, I applied to 10 law schools. Before I had heard back from Case Western I had gotten into two of them, been waitlisted at one, and rejected from six of them. When I received an email from Case Western while sitting in my theater class on a Tuesday morning, I had forgotten that I even applied there and was shocked to open it and find an acceptance letter. It is my greatest achievement to have been accepted to such a prestigious school, as it will be an amazing learning experience and a great bouncing-off point for my future career. This achievement taught me a lot of things about myself. The first thing I learned was to not underestimate myself. While scores matter in law school, so did my story and who I was as a person. Case Western was able to look at me for more than just my scores because I am worth more than what I scored on a test, and I have to put more value in myself too. Something else I learned from this experience was that it’s good to take chances. If I had never taken the chance to apply to Case Western, then I wouldn’t have the opportunity I have now. While it was unlikely for me to get in, at least I gave myself the chance to do so. Moving on to what I plan to achieve given this opportunity. While getting into law school has been my greatest achievement so far, I don’t plan on stopping here. I want to achieve a career in law to one day represent the people who cannot afford representation, and to amplify their voices, which are often silenced. My ultimate goal is to become a public interest lawyer, where I advocate for individuals who need it the most. While getting into Case Western has been an amazing achievement, there are many more to come. I look forward to the bright future ahead and the multitude of opportunities and achievements that will come from this achievement.

The dream version of myself is someone who authentically and compassionately advocates for marginalized individuals, who may not always have the same access to the justice system as the general public.

How can a constitution that white men wrote for white men accurately protect and promote the rights of all American people? Simply put, without continued changes and additions to the Constitution and people advocating for the civil rights of all people, the Constitution doesn’t work or protect the rights of anyone except white men. One sees this at its most basic form in the exclusionary language used in the Constitution, referring to the American people as men and not mentioning women at all until eventually adding later amendments. More obviously, the Constitution purposely excluded all races other than white until adding amendments that intentionally protected other races from discrimination. I’m passionate about the Constitution because I understand how it was drafted and how it can be used to exclude, groups of people who are not white male-identifying. As a female, I am most passionate about fighting for women’s civil liberties. Although amendments in the Constitution protect women from discrimination, women are treated differently in many ways. Women are more likely to be victims of violent crimes, more likely to experience harassment in the workplace, more likely to be paid less than their male coworkers, and the list goes on. I have experience working in a non-profit organization dedicated to ending domestic violence in America, the Women’s Center of Montgomery County. During my work, I was in a courthouse assisting survivors of domestic violence in their legal proceedings while they went through the process of getting Protection from Abuse Orders (also known as restraining orders). This work has inspired my drive to go to law school and advocate for those who go through any legal proceedings. While working in the courthouse, I saw how difficult it was for regular people to access the judicial system and how easily people have their civil liberties violated simply because they don’t understand what they are. Oftentimes people don’t have equal access to the legal system, leading to their civil rights being trampled on. I would like to go into a career in law to help people who don’t have the same opportunities or access to the legal system have a more level playing field. Knowing that the Constitution was created without every citizen in mind gives me the reminder that everyone should be kept in mind when practicing law. To uphold and enforce the Constitution in a way that protects the rights of every citizen in the U.S. will be one of my main goals as an attorney, and I look forward to seeing that goal carried out.

It's hard to understand what feeling clean is like if you have never truly understood what it means to feel dirty. My favorite song on Taylor Swift's '1989' album is "Clean." While it is hard to pick just any song, and although not in the track five slot, which is notoriously her most personal and emotional song she writes, I find it to be the most vulnerable and tear-jerking song on the album. The song reveals a relationship that Swift has been through that has left such a deep mark on her that she feels like it will always be there. Not only was this relationship scarring, but she also couldn't seem to escape the feelings of death and dirtiness associated with it. In light of other songs like "You All Over Me" of of her rerelease of 'Fearless' where she sings, "No amount of freedom gets you clean, I've still got you all over me," this song reveals, perhaps, even more growth, hope, and healing that can come out of a dark situation. This song perfectly captures what it feels like to have a relationship that consumes you, in such a way that is abusive and leaves you damaged. It follows someone in a healing process as they go through the emotions of feeling like they will never be able to get over that hurt, will never be able to shake the shame of what they have experienced. But, then, they do. In a beautiful way, Swift captures the fears and hopes of knowing how hard it is to come out of that type of a situation, and the hope that occurs when you finally feel free and clean of something that you never thought you could. For me, I was abused by someone I trusted deeply and cared for. The situation caused me to spiral into a deep a dark depression, and has left me with lasting trauma that I carry with me everyday. There were times early on in my healing journey that felt like I would never be able to get over what happened to me. There were times when the feelings of shame felt so big and I felt so small, that I could never be free from them. There were times when I felt like that person who harmed me would always be a part of my story, and everyone I met would be able to see it. There are days and moments when it can still feel that way. But, there was a time when that shifted. In the height of all of those emotions and learning to walk away from what's not good for you, I finally was able to feel clean. I was able to slowly let go of what happened to me and see it for what it was. There were times when that felt like I was drowning in all of my emotions, but it also felt like the first time I was truly free from that relationship and that person. The song to me, is about being able to let go of the shame of the abuse that has been done to me. The feeling of being able to go from dirty to clean, from shame to light, and she captures it perfectly in this song and that is why it's my favorite.