Diana, 2L

Being a law student during Christmas was a humbling experience to say the least. This is the first time in who knows how many years that I couldn't buy Christmas gifts. Thanks to my frugal law school budget Christmas shopping was non-existent this year. For all you New Yorkers out there, I discovered the Union Square Holiday Market this week and I was in awe of the vast selections of items available for sale. Walking through this market without any money was a painful experience. I fell in love with so many of their items, especially the jewelry, which would've made for great Christmas gifts. Oh..the trials and tribulations of being a broke law school student. During this break, many friends and family members have asked me if I enojoyed law school and honestly I really did enjoy the experience with the exception of final exams and on having to live on a limited income. It feels so good being on break and I can't believe it is almost over. On Friday, I am traveling to Washington D.C. to attend a seminar organized by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO) and I am looking forward to mingling and networking with other minority law school students from across the country. Till next time everyone and have a Happy New Year to all.

Posted by Diana at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I finished my first semester of law school! Words cannot express the array of emotions I feel right now. I feel relieved that exams are over; anxious about waiting for my grades; and proud that I made it through the end. I studied for hours non-stop and I literally fell asleep reading law and woke up the next day to continue reading more law. I would like to thank Rebecca and Vincent for keeping me company through the process and making the experience a lot more enjoyable. After the last exam, I headed out to a bar and celebrated with all my fellow classmates followed by an intimate dinner with close friends. The day after my last exam I forced myself to see more of Boston. I hung out at a coffee shop in Cambridge followed by shopping at Downtown Crossing. I am currently back in Jersey spending some quality time with family and friends. As I reminisce about my first semester experience, I have to admit that I enjoyed the process and the toughest part by far was taking the final exams. Next semester I will try to work on outlines a lot earlier and hopefully not feel so overwhelmed during reading week. But a part of me feels that it won't really make a difference because one will always feel overwhelmed during exams.

What shall I do now with all this free time? I plan to read magazines, catch up on my shows and watch some movies. Believe it or not I do have some assigned readings that are due when I return to school on January 5th. The weekend of January 2-4th I am attending a seminar at Washington D.C. organized by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO). The seminar is specifically designed to reinforce analytical, reading, writing, studying and test-taking skills and it also offers a great opportunity to network with other CLEO members. CLEO is a great organization that focuses on diversifying the legal profession by expanding legal education opportunities to minority, low-income and disadvantaged groups. For more information on CLEO check out their website: http://cleoscholars.com/index.cfm?nodeid=2

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Posted by Diana at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The weather is getting colder and it snowed for the first time on Sunday. Where was I when it was snowing, cooped up with my classmates studying for final exams.  I've been preparing outlines and working on practice exams.  Tomorrow I will take my first final exam and it will be on Property.  Wish me luck!  On Monday I have a Torts exam and on Wednesday a Civil Procedure exam.  I will be officially done on Wednesday.  I can't believe it!  

Two weeks ago, I spoke as a panelist at the NUSL's Open House and it felt awkward being on the other side of the table as a law school student.  I remember this time last year preparing my law school applications and now here I am preparing for final exams.  To all of my readers who are preparing law school applications good luck!  Northeastern is a great place so make sure to apply. 

Our class schedule for next year has been posted and I will be taking Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Legal Research and Writing and the Social Justice Program.  In the Social Justice Program, I, in a group of 12 students, will be doing a real-world legal research project on behalf of a  public service organization.  Specifically, our group project will be focused on how the City of Worcester can create legal incentives and programs or preferences for minority-owned businesses.  The project will entail research on the legal issues presented by municipal preferences for minority-owned businesses.  I am very excited about working on the project. 

I also have other good news. I accepted a Co-Op opportunity to work in El Paso, Texas. Two weeks ago I interviewed with a Co-Op employer named Paso del Norte, Civil Rights Project located in El Paso, TX.  They are a pro bono civil rights impact litigation organization that has a VAWA program which assists immigrant victims of domestic violence to obtain work permits.  They also work on law enforcement misconduct cases involving excessive force, illegal immigration enforcement activities by local law enforcement, and racial profiling.  I am very excited about the opportunity because one of my goals was to use one of my Co-Op's to work by the border on immigration legal issues.  Texas here I come!  

That is all for now.  Let me return to studying my outlines. Wish me luck!

Posted by Diana at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)