Introduction!

If you know me, you're aware that my plans after college were always to attend law school. It was quite the assured step, considering I planned to be an attorney since I was young, but not even I could've predicted what was coming.

I spent the majority of 2023 studying for the LSAT, taking it and failing, all the while preparing the transcripts, essays, and letters of recommendation necessary for my law school applications. By September 18th, I had 11 applications sent out to various law schools in New York and Texas, which left me pretty freed up and back in class at Texas A&M to finish off my final semester. I reached out to my mentor and told him about how I completed the applications, to which he applauded and set me up with a meeting.

The meeting was with the Dean of Texas A&M's School of Law.

I had a couple of days to prepare, so I went out and bought a fancy black leather Texas A&M folder with several printed copies of my whole application and a fresh fountain pen. A fountain pen - I was there to impress. When September 21, 2023, arrived, I got in my car in College Station and took a 3 hour drive to Fort Worth to meet the Dean.

Upon arriving, I had my notes ready, questions prepared, my blazer straightened and ruffles fluffed. It was go time. He entered the conference room, we shook hands, and he sat down across from me in the quaint meeting space. I remember being told that he is shorter than I am (I am 5'11), and to not wear heels in fear of demasculating him. I did anyway. (he was UNPHASED I must add, so just wear the damn heels ladies).

He began to ask me the run-of-the-mill questions, "What interests you in studying law? Formative moments? What the hell happened on your LSAT? -- fun stuff like that. It didn't take long for me to find a lull in conversation, to which I could pull out my leather folder and give him my whole application to review. As I cracked the portfolio open, he was demurely impressed at the sheer preparation I undertook prior to this meeting, so if anyone doesn't believe in coming to a meeting prepared, BE BETTER... they notice!

I slid the packet of information to him. He slowly paced himself through the packet as I was tapping my crossed feet, waiting to see what he thought of me. I watched as he read. When I noticed the printed letters become uniform from the underside of the sheet, I knew he finally made it to my personal statement essay.

Now, I couldn’t wait. This paper was an effortless write for me and perfectly encapsulated my love for words and my drive to use them to help others in the courtroom. I couldn’t wait to hear what he thought. Watching him read those two double-spaced pages felt like I signed him up to memorize the whole New Testament. It felt like an eternity

There were a few more pages left to read in my packet, as my personal essay was sandwiched between my LSAT addendum and a letter of recommendation, but he sat the papers down. He then folded his hands on the table atop my essay and said,

“This was a phenomenal essay, you have a gift here. People would love to read this, you should pursue writing, not law. ”

Well... I was sat. Floored, actually. I remember I was too flattered to care about how my dreams were basically smashed in a millisecond, but whatever, HE LOVED MY WRITING!!! The meeting skated forward, we spent time discussing how my LSAT is really deplorable and how he can’t advise much but a simple “retake”. Ew — no way.

So I left the meeting and began my 3 hour drive back to College Station. I remember I was so excited, thinking to myself, “OMG he thinks I’d be a great writer and I love writing, hell yes!”

But what is a writer anyway?


That was all I thought about for those 3 hours. As an English major, I have seen people form professions around being novelists, poets, researchers, academics, and teachers; but those professions didn’t feel right for me. Then I thought, what even is journalism? What is a journalist? What do they do and where are they?

The second I arrived home, I pulled out my laptop and began researching those questions. I figured out that a journalist is someone who spends time with others to understand them (kinda like a therapist but for understanding people/ideas/creations/occurences etc). They are someone who finds the answers for the public, by hunting people down and asking smart questions or questions people want to know. I also discovered that journalists can be people whose opinion are validated on a higher level. They can become renowned food critics and fashion experts. Journalists are people who favor writing and speaking for the public, therefore must choose their words wisely. Now THAT profession, felt right to me.

By midnight of September 21st, I had decided that a masters of journalism is worth attempting, but only in New York City where every magazine and news outlet resides. It was time to go big, or go home. I had only Columbia School of Journalism and NYU’s Arthur Carter Institute on my list, and I applied to both programs in under a week. I rewrote my personal statement into a purpose statement, garnered the necessary writing samples and letters of recommendation, and hit the submit button on October 3rd. It was a whirlwind deciding last-minute and mid-semester to apply for these heavy-hitting programs with papers I just whipped up: but why not right?

Since then, I attended a class at NYU’s Journalism Institute where I met with the director of my prospective program. It all felt so real, so right, and so incredible. I remember sitting down with the program director and just emphasizing how I never knew there was an academic space for the thing I love: fun, informative writing. She nodded her head and left me speechless from that meeting, that is until February 21st when she called me on my birthday to personally tell me I have been accepted to NYU’s Masters of Journalism M.A. Magazine and Digital Storytelling concentration.

Wow….me?

A couple weeks later, I was accepted into Columbia’s Journalism program for an M.S. in Investigative Journalism. Wow... again. So here I am. It all happened so fast, but it all truly happened because of the meeting I had with the Dean. If he hadn’t told me I was meant to be a writer and write for the public, I 1000% wouldn’t be here, writing a blog, much less planning to attend a journalism school in NYC - a top one for that matter.

With all this being said, I am still not too sure which school I will decide between Columbia and NYU, but I do know I will be attending one of them. Nevertheless, isn’t it funny how this whole write-up came about from that little interaction? I can guarantee you that the Dean has ZERO idea that his 11 second statement made such an impact on the trajectory of my life…I will have to tell him some day.

All of this goes to show that when one door closes, another one opens.

The world has a magical way of getting you exactly where you need to be, but it is your job to see the good, even if it is small, and act upon it.