Today’s career world demands excellence. As a future attorney, I am committed to developing the core competencies that will shape my effectiveness as a legal professional. My focus on critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, interpersonal communication, and leadership is grounded in my understanding that these skills shape the foundation of the legal world.
Critical Thinking: Adapting to Complex, Widespread Problems
Finding passion in human trafficking advocacy was the last thing I expected when I went to college, but that’s exactly what happened. I wrote my honors undergraduate thesis on forced child begging through the lens of human trafficking. It was the biggest and most difficult project I’ve ever completed and put me out of my comfort zone. There was a lot I was unfamiliar with – first, how to tackle such a big project. It involved countless hours at the library and scouring the internet for valuable sources, and forced me to get creative in finding the research I needed. Forced child begging is a niche topic, and human trafficking is in desperate need of more research and study. There were no readily available answer, and my thesis involved creating data sets myself by pulling raw numbers from other sources. The lack of consensus, even from international governing bodies like the United Nations, created a conundrum with the sources I encountered. For example, I discovered that UN Protocol and the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act used different characteristics to classify child begging. I faced not just missing data but contradictory information. I often had to go back and piece together exactly what the researchers themselves really believed was begging or human trafficking. This experience taught me that, in the world with constantly shifting definitions, global changes, and new insights, it is important to critically examine source and take every perspective into account.
Though this project was a massive undertaking, I took with it valuable competencies in critical thinking, source analysis, and writing skills. Reconciling competing definitions and frameworks reveals complex problems that are worth solving. This is exactly the kind of work I am excited to pursue in my career as an attorney, where I can directly connect with the law itself.
Teamwork: The Key to Success
Stepping into leadership meant stepping into the role of advocate, mediator, and problem-solver all at once. In my senior year of college, I was elected to my sorority’s Membership Integrity Committee as the Senior Coordinator, representing ~80 members directly in an organization of ~320. This position required a lot of interpersonal communication and conflict resolution. I had to carefully consider each individual member’s experience while juggling the needs and policy of the sorority organization as a whole. I reached out to fellow girls in my pledge class when something went amiss, whether that be conflicts reported to us or repeated absences/disengagement. When senior members had problems with the sorority, I was the first line of contact, and I advocated for them to the Membership Integrity board and executive team. Balancing individual needs with organizational policies while being both an advocate and a mediator required interpersonal intelligence and leadership competency. When I reached out to members who were experiencing problems or showing disengagement, I focused primarily on the members themselves. I operated with the rule that I was here for the members first before I was here for the organization, as I was chosen by my peers, for my peers. Serving my constituents was my primary goal, motivated by my strong sense of justice and advocacy. I was clear and collaborative, bringing in my direct superior when needed and reaching out to officers with relevant issues.
In my tenure, I was able to correct mistakes. For example, a very upset member reached out to me confused on why she had been placed on probation, and I was able to investigate and discovered that she really was never informed. Her email address was typed wrong, and I was able to correct the mistake. This allowed the girl to come off of probation, and gave her more time to pay her missing dues. By investigating this situation thoroughly, I not only resolved an immediate issue for this member but likely prevented her from developing negative feelings toward the organization. Afterwards, she told me my advocacy made a tangible difference in her experience. Handling this situation and several other similar challenges strengthened my leadership abilities by improving my communication skills, decision-making skills and problem-solving abilities. During my time, retention rates rose by 7%, a marked improvement from the previous years, which was a decrease of 13%.
This experience developed my leadership skills and ability to be a conscientious advocate for both individual members and the organization as a whole. It further cemented my desire to continue these skills in the legal field – being an agent of the people motivated by a love of the communities I am a part of.
Technology: Using the Tools to Get the Job Done
Programs I Know How to Use
- IBM SPSS Statistics
- LexisNexis
- WordPress Website Builder
- Kaltura Video Editor
- Outlook Calendar
- Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms
- Canva
Artificial Intelligence Programs I Know How to Use
- Claude AI
- ChatGPT
- Bing AI
- Perplexity
- RiffBot
- Goblin
- Gemini
My Artificial Intelligence Statement on the Ethical Use of AI
At the University of Arkansas, I received extensive training on Artificial Intelligence and Technology through the Professional Agility & Career Essentials (PACE) Program, receiving the PACE micro-certificate. There, I learned how to use AI accurately, safely, and most importantly, ethically. Like any technology, AI is a tool, and one that can be utilized with the proper training and priorities.
In legal and academic settings, this means maintaining human control, ensuring transparency about AI use, preserving client confidentiality, verifying AI responses, and acknowledging the limitations of these systems. My training has prepared me to leverage AI’s capabilities while upholding professional integrity and ethical standard necessary to the law.