Fall 2023
As I close out my first semester of law school, I find myself reflecting on where I was in life a year ago. Last year, I was on Guam teaching high schoolers, tutoring part-time, studying for the LSAT, and preparing law school applications. Now, I am editing my second memo for legal writing and studying for my semester exams.
Moving from Guam to Seattle was intimidating. Although I was returning to a familiar city, I had left during the height of Covid-19. To combat my anxieties surrounding the move and law school in general, I made the decision to start my classes in the summer. Taking the summer class not only eased me into the change of environment but also helped me adjust to being a student again. During this class, I learned how to read case law, write a case brief, and respond to cold-calling. It also allowed me to form bonds with my professor and classmates while reconnecting with my community from my undergrad.
Even after taking more classes, I consider criminal law to be my favorite. Despite the fast pace and emotionally draining subject matter, I was always engaged in class and ready to discuss the law and policy surrounding the topics for the day. The course solidified my desire to work in public interest law, specifically in public defense.
During undergrad and as a teacher, I struggled to find balance between work and fun. After some trial and error, I have managed my time in a way that prioritizes school and leisure. Although a large amount of my time is dedicated to reading and reviewing course material, I schedule time to attend concerts, eat at new restaurants, and sing at karaoke.
I came to Seattle U Law not only to join the legal profession but also to cultivate a network of like-minded people. I thrive when surrounded by community, so I made it a point to find mine and get involved. With one less class on my fall course load, I used my extra time to join student organizations, attend networking events, and participate in competitions. I became the 1L Representative for the Filipino Law Student Association and the International and Immigrant Student Association. I also joined OUTLaws, the Asian Law Student Association, the Family Law Society, and the Womxn of Color Coalition. These organizations brought me closer to my classmates as well as 2Ls and 3Ls who have been supportive and reassuring.
Once I get through finals, I fly back to Guam to visit my family (and to escape winter)! In between going to the beach and spending time with my 1-year-old goddaughter, I plan to prepare my applications for summer internships and fellowships. I am ending this semester very hopeful for the spring and all of the opportunities to come!
March 2024
One semester down, five more to go. Flying back to Seattle after spending my winter break in Guam was hard. I immediately felt homesick when I stepped out into 30-degree weather after 2 weeks in the sun. However, time really flies when you’re busy; I am now contemplating my plans for spring break. It's funny to think about how much I feared the 4 PM sunsets, and now it’s almost spring.
Returning to school, I dreaded two things, 1) checking my grades and 2) taking property law. My scholarship for SU Law is based on the condition that I remain in the top 50% of my class. I was relieved when I finally opened my fall semester grades and saw that I was within my conditions. It was a little boost of confidence to see that I performed well in the courses I struggled with the most. I was also able to meet with my professors to discuss my areas of improvement so I could strategize for this next semester. Property law started out as an intimidating course, but it has quickly become one of my favorite classes. Many of the practice problems remind me of the LSAT logic games, which was my favorite portion of the test.
The student organizations I joined in the fall continued to keep me busy this semester. I assumed the role of secretary for the Filipino Law Student Association and have been adjusting to new responsibilities. I performed a cultural dance number and sang for the Asian Law Student Association’s Karaoke Night. I also competed in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board’s 1L Competition which included client counseling and negotiation. I was also a volunteer for the Public Interest Law Foundation Auction as a recorder. These experiences have been welcome breaks from studying and classes.
A major curveball from this semester was being sick with Covid-19 at the beginning of February. I was lucky that I only missed one class of each of my courses, but I was essentially in bed for the entire weekend. This sickness came after a weekend filled with events When I recovered from the sickness, I immediately needed to finish my legal writing memo and prepare a series of interviews for the summer.
My summer job/internship search began during winter break and continued into January and February. I focused on applying to diversity fellowships, and I received offers to interview for each opportunity I applied to. I am fairly confident in my interview skills, but I still did my due diligence to research and practice beforehand. Zoom interviews are particularly draining for me. After many applications and interviews, I was accepted into the Legal Employers Advancing Diversity in Washington (“LEAD-WA”) Summer 2024 1L Diversity Fellowship Program. I will spend this summer as a Summer Legal Associate at Salesforce, Inc.
This semester, I have made it a priority to schedule in time to do things I enjoy and see people. I’ve gotten to go to different concerts, read for fun, and discover new shows to watch. I feel ready for the break, and I’m excited for all of the activities to come!
May 2024
So far, all of my diary entries have started with commentary about how fast time is passing. This one is no different. In less than a month, I can no longer say that I am a first-year law student.
My response to the question “how’s it going?” has consistently been “going.” I felt the increase in credits from last semester. Finishing out property, torts, and contracts has been a struggle. I just turned in my collaborative memo for legal writing. For about a month, I would talk to anyone who would listen about the topic my class was researching. We partnered with our school’s Workers’ Rights Clinic to research a potential constitutional challenge to Prof. Ford’s Wage Recovery Fund, a proposed scheme to improve wage theft enforcement. This year, I struggled to make my learning feel tangible, but working with a community partner helped to solidify the impact of all the work I’ve put into developing my writing skills.
My email signature will be changing very soon to include all of the positions I was elected to for the upcoming school year. For the Dispute Resolution Board, I will be the next VP of In-House Competitions! In this role, I will be planning and coordinating the various competitions on our campus including client counseling, arbitration, negotiation, and more. For the Asian Law Student Association, I will be the Vice President and Volunteer/Scholarship Chair. Finally, for the Pacific Islander Law Student Association, I will be Co-President. I am honored and excited to serve these organizations that have made law school an enjoyable experience.
In March, I participated in the journal write-on competition. This month, I received offers and accepted membership for Law Review! It was a tough decision,–and I am already committed to so much next school year–but I know that being in a law journal will be a valuable experience during law school. I will spend my summer reflecting on the article I want to write and building my reading skills.
I promise that I am not just studying for class, working at the Admissions Office, and participating in student activities. I got to attend the Fall Out Boy concert and see comedy shows like Hasan Minhaj! I also went on a trip with my friends to Granite Falls, spending the night soaking in the hot tub, roasting s’mores by the bonfire, and singing karaoke.
I am ready for the summer to start, but I have to get through finals week. I will have a 3-week break before my summer internship starts. Then, I’ll be off to SF for onboarding! I am very hopeful that this summer will be filled with lots of fun and learning!
Summer 2024
*cue Spongebob voice*: Five months later.
Before diving into the chaos of the fall semester, I want to talk about my amazing 1L summer. I was a Summer Legal Associate for Salesforce! I never envisioned myself working for a corporation, but Salesforce’s innovative and supportive environment has truly broadened my perspective on the role of legal professionals in the corporate world. I sat in on major deals, conducted legal research, and supported data tagging for contract lifecycle management system implementation.
My second year of law school has been off to a rough start. One of my classes, Race and Law, was canceled, causing me to panic about what classes I should take up in its place. My schedule has changed at least 4 times during the first week of school. It is finally set with constitutional law, legal writing, administrative law, and advanced legal research. I have also allocated all of my law journal credits to this semester, bringing me to only 14 credits.
Although my credit load is fairly light, I have no shortage of things that fill my schedule. As I mentioned in my previous diary entry, I am balancing my classes with my job as an Admissions Fellow, a Themis Student Representative, Law Review, Dispute Resolution Board, the Asian Law Student Association, and the Pacific Islander Law Student Association. Outside of school, I serve on committees with the Filipino Lawyers of Washington, volunteer with the Asian Bar Association, and serve as secretary for the National Filipino American Law Student Association. I’m very nervous, but I know this will be an exciting semester!
October 2024
Sadly, I was correct to be nervous about this semester. “Who let me do this?” is a question I asked daily over the last two months as I struggled to keep up with my classes and many commitments. The answer: “I did.” I reached a point of burnout and exhaustion that I had not experienced since my time as a teacher. After taking a week to step away from some responsibilities, I feel better about my ability to make it through this semester. I know that everything I am currently working through will set me up for success in the end–I just need to remember that at the end of the day, the day ends.
At the start of this year, I expected my main hurdle to be the amount of reading, but for this particular semester, it actually is the amount of research and writing I need to do. I was unwise to take Legal Writing II and Advanced Legal Research while drafting my Note and Comment for Law Review. Writing my court briefs and trying to complete research assignments while also doing independent research for a law journal has been an overwhelming experience that I would not wish on others. I need to manage my time better and work to ensure that I am efficiently processing information to keep up with my load.
Aside from reading and writing, I also had a very event-planning and support-heavy semester. As VP of In-House Competitions for the Dispute Resolution Board, I planned our annual Client Counseling Competition and Mediation Competition this semester. I also support programming for the Asian Law Students Association and the Pacific Islander Law Student Association. As Secretary of the National Filipino American Law Student Association, I have supported online programming and panels. October is Filipino American History Month, and my most used Tagalog phrase is, “Pagod na ako. I am tired.”
I want to end this entry on a brighter note: I received a total of $10,500 in scholarships this semester! At the end of September, I was selected as the Asian American Bar Association of Washington’s Yamashita Scholar. The scholarship is named after Takuji Yamashita, a graduate of UW Law who was denied admission to the WA bar because he was not eligible to be an American immigrant from Japan. In October, I also received a Pangarap (“Dream”) Scholarship from the Filipino Lawyers of Washington. It is an amazing feeling to not only receive recognition for all of my hard work but also to know that some of my tuition expenses will be covered for this school year.
I want to ground myself and whoever ends up reading this with my email signature, “Create a great day.” As my stress and anxiety have increased, my habit of telling other people this send-off has decreased. I hope that by the end of the semester, I can once again internalize these words and work towards creating great days during my time at SU Law.
December 2024
I am a big fan of weekly/daily quotes. The quote of this week reads: I choose to make peace with what today has come to teach me. My biggest takeaway this semester: time is a finite resource. My contracts professor often told us that we needed to “create time,” and now I’ve come to understand that this comes from letting things go. I deleted social media from my phone and promptly read 2 books for fun. Even with “no distractions,” I will find things other than school to do.
Work came in waves, and I am currently locked into working on preparing for my final exams. I have closed out all of my legal research and legal writing-related responsibilities: 1) completed my advanced legal research class, 2) submitted my second draft of my note for Law Review, and 3) argued my appellate brief in front of a mock panel of judges. Each weekend felt like a new deadline, but now I am struck with how much I need to review for constitutional law and administrative law. My priorities have shifted now that I feel things have slowed down, and I am not ready for things to be on my plate again.
While my organizations are essentially paused, I have had time to reflect on how much I have committed to this year. I don’t regret the work, but I do see the toll it has taken on my mind and body–I found at least 6 new gray hairs on my head. I want next semester to be slower, but I think it is a matter of ensuring that I communicate with my teams, set clear boundaries, and re-prioritize according to what balances my capacity with my goals. Next semester will be filled with 3 in-house competitions for Dispute Resolution, Karaoke Night in Diversity Week, Spring Visit Day, and much more.
I am ecstatic to be joining a clinic next semester: the Civil Rights Clinic. When my friend who is currently in the clinic expressed that there were still openings, I quickly emailed the clinic, got in contact with my professors, and added the opportunity to my schedule. I really enjoy constitutional law, and I know I’ll be able to do good work in collaboration with the Civil Rights Clinic.
With the excitement comes lingering fear. I also have the dread of not securing my summer weighing on me. I have pushed that to the side as I deal with other pressing issues (AKA finals), but it is an ongoing concern. I have it scheduled in my calendar to send out multiple applications once I am back on Guam. After my final, I want to rediscover my hobbies and enjoy a Christmas on Guam.
