Julienne Correa, 2L (Class of 2022)

Growing up, I didn’t know anything about law school. I remember researching “how to become a lawyer” and immediately closed the tab because it looked too intimidating.

When I started undergrad at UC Davis, I decided to get involved with student government. I met a lot of students majoring in political science and international relations. They were pre-law, I was pre-med. After freshmen year, I realized that I just could not put myself through another science or math class; no matter how much I studied, I struggled with the concepts. I realized it was because I lacked the motivation to pursue a career in the medical field. It was my parent’s dream, not mine.

Coming from an immigrant family, I was terrified to fail. Failing meant disappointment to my parents. Disappointment to all their struggles to get me to a four-year university. The medical field was all I had ever known and what I told them I wanted to do, but I was not passionate about it.

As I continued getting more involved in student government, I realized I enjoyed advocacy. I liked helping people and advocating for important structural change. Many of my colleagues were pre-law and they gave me great advice on how to prepare for law school. I was also happy to find that, unlike being pre-med, I was not required to take specific courses. I chose two majors that I greatly enjoyed, Sociology and Psychology.

I am grateful for my opportunity to pursue a college degree and to go to law school. I am able to choose a career that I can truly be passionate in. However, it is not an easy path for someone who has no background in the legal field. The legal field is prestigious and sometimes lacks diversity. I wish to pursue this career to increase the diversity in the legal field because it impacts so many people, especially the most vulnerable populations.

There are so many different opportunities in law. I am still in the process of trying to figure out what type of lawyer I want to be. I know I want to help people. I know I am passionate about this career. I know that I have more to experience and every day I am learning something new. I am in no rush because I am just grateful to be in law school. I am excited to see where it will take me. As a law student, my current goals are to be successful in my classes, graduate, and pass the bar exam.