dineeott

[dineeott]

My law school journey: Deciding to go

Most of the questions I’ve received are about law school. So, I’ve decided to create multiple posts about my law journey. I’m still not sure what to share, what not to share, etc., so if you’re curious about anything specific, just lmk. But for now, let’s start from the very beginning.

I graduated from Manumalo Baptist High School in 2013. I attended American Samoa Community College for two years and graduated in May 2015 with my Associates in Business Management. A week after graduation, I moved to Utah to attend the University of Utah (the U).

When I started at the U, I was a computer science major. After a semester of CS classes, I was dead set on being anything but a computer science major lol. I don’t even remember what I changed my major to but after a few changes, I became a political science major. I was in Air Force ROTC and I saw a political science degree as the pathway to the career I envisioned. I was in AFROTC for two years. I went all out, giving up coffee, sweets, and fast food, and even adopting a 4 a.m. running routine. I was all about those salads too lol (iykyk). I was so invested that I began the application process for the Air Force Academy. I got the AF Academy Nomination from Congresswoman Amata, passed the Pre-candidate Phase, took the Candidate Fitness Assessment and didn’t even submit my application. The closer I got to actually attending the AF Academy, the more I realized I was pursuing something I didn’t even want. So by the time I realized all this, I was about to graduate and didn’t know what my post-grad plan was.

I was working for the UCard Office at the time and I was sharing my dilemma with my boss. He said, “Why don’t you consider law school? My wife is an attorney and I see a lot of attributes in you that makes her a good attorney.” I was like ooooh, why not? And that’s where it all started.

Once I started looking into law school, I discovered I had missed the deadline to apply. I hadn’t even taken the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) yet. The more I looked into law school, the more drawn I was to it. The intellectual stimulation, diverse career opportunities, the ability to make a difference, understanding wtf is going on legally, it would be challenging and I’d be a mf attorney? I said sign me up.

So I took a gap year and worked at DHL Supply Chain as a shipping coordinator. Did I love being a shipping coordinator? Probably not but I excelled at my job. I took on additional responsibilities, mentored new employees, and consistently received positive feedback while achieving my goals. I knew if I continued to work as I had been, I would get a promotion soon. As I delved deeper into my role, I began contemplating pursuing a Master’s in Supply Chain Management. I was drawn to the challenges of the job—the fast pace, the variety in tasks, and the satisfaction of seeing everything come together seamlessly. I found fulfillment in the ever-changing nature of the work. Would I ever get bored w/ the job? I didn’t think so. With these considerations in mind, I began seriously entertaining the idea of forgoing the LSAT and law school altogether.

Girl round and round I went. Should I go to law school? Should I not? Should I base my decision on whether or not I was happy with my job at DHL? Will happiness pay my bills? (lol) Did I really want to go back to school? What were my priorities? It didn’t help that in all the research I did on law school, the glaring advice was don’t do it. Law school comes with a hefty price tag, spanning three years of commitment. The entire journey, from application to passing the bar exam, takes a daunting 4-5 years. It’s a fiercely competitive field. It sucks the life out of you (lol jk). What impact would AI have on the legal field? Would I find a job? What if I sucked at being an attorney? Every conceivable thought crossed my mind.

In the end, I realized that I might have been choosing the easier path. While I excelled at my job with DHL, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my decision to stay was merely because I was good at it. Deep down, I knew this to be true. Contemplating the future, I realized that regardless, in 4-5 years, I’d still be 4-5 years older. The real question was whether I’d be an attorney or something else. So a month before the January 2019 LSAT sitting, I started studying. I was still working full-time at DHL. After work, I would go to Starbucks and study. On the weekends, I’d go to Starbucks to study some more. I was probably a menace to my family. Most likely still am.

Ultimately, I embraced the uncertainty and recognized that applying to law school was a risk worth taking. After all, what was the worst that could happen?