Acknowledging one’s own mistakes is a formidable task; more so is accepting responsibility and initiating substantive change. Dropping out of high school should have been that symptom that allowed me to see my ailment, however, despite my failure to perform the most basic task requested of our youth, my ability to excel on tests -often scoring higher than the most studious around me- blinded me to the reality of the situation, allowing me to yet again ignore my underlying faults. This ignorant mindset persisted into my first year at college, leading to multiple academic failures and a final exodus in late 2017. It was not until I realized that only I was to blame, that I could begin to change. My path to redemption began with my new motto “If you’re going to do something, do it right”. Which I would bring with me when I joined the Navy in 2018. Strangely, it was not my success, but rather my peers' perception of me as a diligent and hardworking recruit that allowed me to see the success that could be mine if only I kept on that path, learning from my failings and striving for perfection. As an FC (AEGIS) - one of the Navy's most academically challenging ratings - I applied myself, finishing with an impressive 99.8% score and the title of Distinguished Military Graduate after my 18 Months of Navy Schooling, eventually achieving the rank of E-5 a year earlier than average. I began taking college courses again, eventually becoming a full-time student, all while working on an active Navy Destroyer where I clocked in over 100 hours a week on average. Despite the lack of time, I still managed to make the dean's list during the Summer of 2023, with a semester GPA of 4.0. While work and school took up the vast majority of my time, I still worked to make improvements to my community. An example of such is when I redesigned the Coalition of Sailors Against Destructive Decisions branch on my ship in 2022, reactivating it after the COVID-19 pandemic had effectively neutered most shipboard volunteer organizations. I ended up rewriting the instruction from the ground up, to use the organization to help others attain the success that I had enjoyed so recently, by reinventing destructive habits and mindsets. My experience as someone who made some pretty major mistakes, but managed to realign to a path where success is all too possible is what makes me know that a second chance is always possible. I want to use my career to enable all people from all walks of life the same opportunities that I had, and to make the system that we have now even more accessible to those who otherwise are not gaining the benefit that should be so easy to grasp. The victims that I want to advocate for are those who felt forgotten and need a second chance.

Law, to the layman, may not seem to be the most valuable topic. It does not stop a person from dying from a curable disease, it does not grow and produce food, and it does not advance technology to unimaginable heights. To them, Law is simply a set of rules that we could perhaps do without. The layman is wrong, however, as Law may not directly solve many of the issues that we are all privy to, but it is only because of Law that we, as a species, are able to seek a solution at all. All of human knowledge, all of our advancement, and all of our previous solutions came about because we are a community, a collective that builds off of the ingenuity and abilities of those around us, and those who came before us. From the farmer who fed the builders, who sheltered the thinkers, who were the giants upon whose shoulders were stood, society as a whole needed to work together to pull us away from animalistic improvidence. It is only through the creation of laws and codes that early society managed to function, and only through the evolution of those rules that humanity managed to thrive. Hammurabi's code has historically been credited as the first set of written laws, dating back to 1750 BC. (although other written codes have been found recently), and it was through the creation of this coherent codex that propagated similar systems throughout the world, leading to the rapid advancement of the human species as a whole. It was through our ready use and understanding of the Law, in rules that were made not only available to everyday people, but applicable in their protections as well as their limitations, that society became truly immutable, and our knowledge of the universe thrived. An eye for an eye did not leave the world blind but instead opened up opportunities for niche professions and experts from all walks of life. I wish to pursue the Law because of its innate ability to create and sustain a society that not only manages to muddle through disasters that would otherwise destroy an individual but discovers ways to turn that adversity to its advantage and thrive. Although I am as of yet unsure as to where I wish to specialize, I believe that all aspects of the Law, and the society that it solidifies, are as valuable as any other, and simply wish to do my best to usher in policy and proceedings that will best raise to the shoulders of giants the thinkers and creators of tomorrow.