Why Law?

I woke up at five o’clock in the morning to the sound of a rooster crowing and forgot where I was sleeping. As I stood up, I groggily recalled the events of the previous day. My plane landed in San Jose, Costa Rica and I was immediately whisked away into unfamiliar territory on an adventure that would change my life forever. Months earlier at the ripe age of ten, I had been chosen to live with a host family for a month in Costa Rica. For months, I eagerly learned about the country itself, the Spanish culture, language, and food. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the culture shock I was about to endure. On the same day I arrived in San Jose, my host family took me on a week long vacation and separated me from my friends and teacher. I quickly learned my host family spoke minimal English and the months of Spanish weren’t helping in our communication. I was car sick, tired, and missing home already. Right after a particular incident where a monkey stole my mango I had just plucked from a tree, I thought to myself, “Remind me why I decided to leave the comfortable and familiar for something completely alien to me in every way?”

As the weeks progressed, I was reunited with my fellow classmates and regained my mental strength. Even at that young age, I learned a great deal about my identity and what cultural differences truly meant. My host family was completely strange to me: Steve Erkel’s voice was replaced with a Spanish imposter, my bed collapsed several times throughout the night, there was a hole in the roof for trees to grow and hang wet laundry, and they actually ate dinner at noon. Despite these differences in values, behaviors and social customs, I realized that we were essentially the same. The biggest lesson I learned on my trip to Costa Rica was that in order to adjust to my cultural surroundings and overcome my anxiety and insecurity, I first had to have an open mind. This lesson spurred my addiction to traveling and learning about cultural differences.

Since my first travel experiences and exposure to multiculturalism, I have traveled to numerous countries, especially throughout Europe and have witnessed many cultural facets that continue to shape the person whom I hope to become. Each and every time I enter a new country, I leave a part of me behind in order to be fully open to new cultures and gain so much more in return. Traveling mostly with my mother, we have been exposed to all types of people, foods, and cultures. One of the most remarkable incidences occurred when I was sixteen years old walking down Vatican Street in Italy. Clueless and jetlagged, my mother and I stumbled upon a crowd of people and we quickly learned that the late Pope John Paul II was giving a mass. Being able to observe such a monumental event in history just by chance further encouraged my love of traveling and my goal to pursue a career in international affairs.

My enthusiasm for knowledge and travel has continued to grow throughout my years in college as I pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and International Business. Currently, I am working to obtain my Masters in Accounting and CPA license at Florida Atlantic University and will hopefully graduate Summer 2012. I learned that I have a strong ability to learn and adapt in all situations. For example, having to adapt to my parents divorce at age five caused me to be more independent and mature for my age. Even though I have been privileged to experience the opportunities that most people do not, I never once took my experiences for granted. Throughout my three and a half years as an undergraduate, I learned about the pressing issues of globalization. With business law globalizing the fastest of all and nations beginning to agree on standards for regulations, it is becoming of increasing importance for multinational companies to globalize their practices in different countries. This trend has continued to ignite my passion learned early in my youth. I feel that my background and experiences in multicultural environments will help me to adapt quickly to international corporate culture and surroundings. Furthermore, having a birth sign that is ruled by the planet of justice and a mother who also happens to be a lawyer, I cannot help but feel that I am destined to be involved in the justice arena. Thus, pursuing a Juris Doctorate degree will give me the credentials necessary to pursue my dream of having a career as an international corporate attorney.

In addition, I believe that furthering my education in the area of law parallels my adventure in Costa Rica. Not only would I be out of my element and comfort zone, but I would also be broadening my horizons once again. I know that choosing to pursue a legal education does not come without a few bumps. Again, it will be like experiencing a few collapsed beds on a nightly basis. I have learned that leaving the comfortable and familiar for something unknown and surviving is something that only makes me stronger. More importantly, in order to adjust to new cultures, one must maintain a sense of humor. The next time I am faced with a monkey stealing my mango, I want to be prepared!