Throughout my life I have faced many challenges that took determination, perseverance, and discipline in order to overcome. During high school and throughout my undergraduate studies I dedicated myself to the ferocious sports of Kick Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts. Despite my successes that were built on hard work and devotion to self-restraint, unfortunately I suffered a traumatic injury to my knee and in the process shattered my patella, ruptured both the anterior cruciate and the medial collateral ligaments, and tore the cartilage of the meniscus. The recovery from this injury was brutal and I had to undergo four surgeries and months of bed rest which, given my prior states of physical activity seemed like torture. Along with the physical injury, a deep depression set in as I realized the goals that I had dedicated myself to for a significant period of my life ultimately caused me to be significantly injured and unable to continue pursuing them. The only silver lining that I can perceive from the entire situation is that it has shown me the paths that I would like to pursue.
My initial goals as a new undergraduate were to go to medical school and become a physician. When I was injured, my grades obviously suffered. My experience as a fighter instilled me with a grit and determination that no matter how tough something seemed; I had to get to the finish line. I refuse to be knocked out, if it comes to the judges decision based on points and I’m found wanting, I can accept this, but the idea of folding and forfeiting something I had dedicated myself to was anathema. So it was in sport, and so it was in academics. Refusing to surrender to my injuries and depression, my grades suffered terribly. My ultimate GPA was a 2.3 as I sauntered dazed between classes, hobbling on crutches, and wondering if I’d ever walk without a limp. At the time, I was proud of my determination and perseverance because I wanted to complete the mission of getting my Bachelor’s degree from Providence College in Biology.
Biology has always fascinated me and I will always think fondly of my professor who told us that the goal of a good biology instructor was to make human reproduction boring, and plant reproduction fun. Biological systems have an amazing ability to inform a great deal of human interactions. Understanding the workings of various organisms allows us to draw inferences from evolutionarily successful creatures and apply them to other areas, away from the strictly bound sciences. Whereas the basic sciences demand a particular type of vigor applied by the scientific method. On the other hand, the social sciences and juridical sciences allow for a more liberal application of theories to practice.
My dedication to biology and my interest in physical fitness led me to become a Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine., and a Certified Strength and Conditioning specialist via the National Strength and Conditioning Association. While I was depressed and suffering from an injured knee, helping other people achieve their fitness goals became a beacon of light. Indeed, training with clients and providing them with plans to strengthen themselves both muscularly and nutritionally, helped me recover by practicing alongside with them and researching new methods and protocols. However, the greatest realization I had at this point is how much I enjoyed being and advocate for my client. Since I graduated college in 2011, I began my working career at LA Fitness in Springfield, Massachusetts as a Fitness Director. Managing a staff of ten employees in customer service, our goal was to sell fitness contracts to clients. Selling contracts that could approach ten thousand dollars requires a certain finesse, and eventually I had honed my talents of persuasion to accurately and succinctly identify the pros and cons of various packages to a recalcitrant client.
Through my hard work and convincing rhetoric, I was eventually made a Junior District Vice President and I oversee five different clubs and manage over sixty employees. I have learned the entire management process of a diverse group of individuals seeking a common goal. The fervor I feel for helping people through logical argumentation is ultimately what leads me to law. In retrospect it seems obvious that I should’ve gone into law, as I was the minority leader in my High School’s model senate and we were so successful that we proceeded to the American International College Model Senate tournament, where, despite again being in the minority, we successfully passed out bill, the “Immigration Reform Act.”
Law is a lifelong commitment to dedication to clients, responsibility, and learning. A good lawyer must always view his clients in an empathetic manner, while at the same time maintaining an appropriate distance in order to conserve the qualities necessary for the execution of his duties. A lawyer must be dedicated to their profession, and exhibit great stamina in order to endure long and demanding hours. Additionally, exemplary communication skills are necessary in order to effectively report information to the client, opposing counsel, judges, juries, and everyone else involved in the justice system. A good Lawyer must be attentive to details, well organized, and willing to learn.
A legal education provides an opportunity to expand academic horizons, to learn practical skills for real world applications, and affords the opportunity to do advanced research and influence future generations of students in a given field of law. The University’s JD program will afford me the opportunity to conduct research, advance my knowledge of the field and study with some of the finest faculty in the profession. I will be able to advance my knowledge in a vibrant profession that has implications for a broad range of industries and services that are used daily by millions of people throughout the world. A legal degree would open up many career opportunities. The training in regulation, business, and persuasion it can provide serves many professions, and is applicable in commerce, insurance, and government jobs, besides immediate facility in the justice system. The enormous amount of flexibility of the degree enables the holder to branch out and discover areas beyond their immediate expertise, and in turn expand the scope of enterprise and discover novel solutions to old problems.
The level of education, and the diversity in both course work and student body at your institution is unparalleled. In both my short and long term goals, I will leverage the education and contacts that I form to maximize my personal productivity. In turn, this will allow me to maximize opportunities for my clients. My education at your institution and my future employment will allow me to serve a broader humanitarian cause of encouraging new developments in many field of activity. I am deeply committed to the effort of helping people through their struggles. I have a strong desire to learn as much as I can about different people, and to learn the intricacies and nuances of systems. My knowledge of biology and of different persuasive methods, combined with my logical thinking and love of my problem solving will allow me to make sound arguments for my clients when the occasion calls for it.
My initial plans were to stick with health, fitness, and medicine, but after having worked in fitness sales and learning about my ability to persuade others using logic and reason, I have a firm belief that law and eventually politics is my true path. The training in biology that I received will allow me to think of novel solutions to legal problems gleaned from biology’s strategy for a problem. My experience in fitness sales has taught me important skills, like persistence, that are important for closing a deal. My experience with injury, has taught me a degree of humility and perseverance that I otherwise would not have come to. Despite all the challenges that I faced in the fighting rings, the hospitals, the academic settings, I have always had an extremely strong work ethic. My undergraduate GPA was an anomaly resulting from serious trauma, and I am certain that in your JD program my work ethic will be tested to its fullest as I complete assignments and group projects designed to teach important legal skills. I ultimate hope is to have an immediate and long lasting influence in the field of law and contribute to society’s legal evolution.
