Law School Personal Statement Example #8

One of my favorite authors, Dr. Brené Brown, once said that “Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” As someone that has struggled with crippling timidity from a young age, it has taken over a decade to build up the courage required to put myself out there, to pursue the career that has consistently been at the forefront of my ambitions, even if it is the most uncomfortable pursuit imaginable - I have built up the courage to become a lawyer.

Growing up, I typically sought the company of the rambunctious Huckleberry Finn, the bookish Hermione Granger, and anything I could find from the minds of Sylvia Plath or the Brontë sisters. Over time, I longed to share my ideas about literature and philosophy with like-minded individuals and to find a way to utilize my keen sense of characterization and justice. In my freshman year as a Berkley English major, I decided to start a blog. Putting my ideas onto paper was difficult. Taking this a step further by publishing my writing online, where it could be taken-apart and scrutinized, was almost unbearable. However, contrary to all of my worst fears, I found a community full of warm feedback and genuine interest in what I had to contribute. I found myself energized, and ready to continuously challenge myself to make each piece my best one yet. I wrote about literature, art, my own personal struggles, my achievements, and my plans for the future. I found a community of like-minded individuals, and confidantes that supported me. It was through this blog that I gained the confidence to fully commit myself to the pursuit of a law degree.

I knew that to practice law, I would need to get out of my comfort zone even further and learn to effectively articulate my ideas, vocally. To challenge myself in this pursuit I signed myself up for the debate society during my sophomore year at UC Berkley. The first meeting with the team was excruciating, I felt my face flush, and my voice quaver to the point of incomprehensibility. Nevertheless, I endured week after week, feeling my confidence improve with each encounter. By the end of the year, my speech was unrecognizable. By the end of my junior year, my team went all the way to the Universities Debating Championships where we took third place. My experience with the debate team has completely transformed me as an individual, and I look forward to challenging myself further.

Another challenge, and opportunity to develop professionally, came to me in the form of an internship at a local Bay area law firm. In this position, I took notes during meetings and briefings, ran various errands for my superiors, and I even had the opportunity to help prepare some court materials. I was thrilled to notice that some of the most respected lawyers in the firm were not the most gregarious or outgoing people in the room, they were the ones that spoke very little. The thing that set them apart was that they were exceptional listeners. They succeeded because those around them, and those that they served, felt heard. The funny thing is, when they did speak – everyone listened. I learned not only the importance of active listening but also that there are respected lawyers in the field that I could look up to, lawyers with personalities just like my own.

Throughout my life, I have grappled to find the courage to let myself be heard, to be seen. I have come a long way and I look forward to finding out what new challenges the field of law has in store.

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