I’m posting this on here in hopes that all my awesome friends and readers of my blog can help me revise this. Please leave suggestions/rewrites on the comments section. Or email me!
Y’all are the best, and thanks for continuing your support of me going to LS!
For Applicant: Elizabeth Atkins
Thomas Jefferson School of Law
Diversity Statement
Where I am from most girls are pregnant and married a few years out of high school. Practically no one goes to college, and I’m one of the few of my graduating class to go on to graduate school. All these years I’ve managed to stay dedicated to my studies and have never given up, even though I have had some ups and downs.
While preparing for the LSAT earlier this year, I found out I was pregnant. The father, unfortunately, decided that having a baby was too much for him to handle, and I found myself taking the LSAT and applying to law schools as a single expecting mother. Needless to say, I was scared and questioned whether or not I should continue down the path of graduate school. But law school has been my dream for 4 years now, and too many women give up on a dream they have had because of motherhood. I vowed I would not be just another statistic, and that, unlike the girls I grew up around, I could be a mother and have the career of my dreams.
When I enter law school in the fall of 2011, I will have a 6 month year old newborn baby girl, Sophie Pearl. Becoming a first time mother has shifted my priorities immensely and I am determined to build a future not only for myself, but for my baby girl. Yes, I understand the rigors of law school and the hardships of single motherhood are obstacles to be feared on their own, nonetheless doing both at the same time. Yet I am a determined and strong willed woman, and I have a new goal of becoming a role model for my daughter, showing her that we truly can do whatever we set our minds to, regardless of the obstacles in our way.
I know my perspective as a single mother of a newborn will be an attribute to Thomas Jefferson and the entering class of fall 2011. We are what we experience, and it is no doubt that my experiences as a single mother through this process, and the hard work I will put in once school starts will contribute in a positive way to my point of view during class discussions, relationships with fellow students, and my drive to succeed in school and beyond.
This journey will undoubtedly be a difficult one, more difficult than what the average hard working law student has to endure. But I am not only willing to bring it on, but determined to do so for Sophie. I am lucky in that my life will be starting in two ways in 2011: Having a baby, and starting law school. I have no room to fail in either path, and that is ultimately what will make me a diverse student to your school and a successful practicing attorney in the future.
Twentysomething Life 
I currenlty write a blog called the “Twentysomething Life.” In this blog, I try and relate to others my age, who struggle through the same challenges that I face on a daily basis. While I try and relate to my readers, I actually am far from the normal twenty-something. I am pregnant and I married a few years out of high school. Also, practically no one from my home-town goes to college, and even fewer go on to graduate school. Thus, while I write a blog about being a twenty-something, I am far from being the average twenty-something girl from East County San Diego. With all the ups and downs that come with the suprises that I have faced in my life, I have managed to stay dedicated to my studies and have never given up, using my desire to succeed and survive as the driving force in my life.
While preparing for the LSAT earlier this year, I found out I was pregnant. The father, unfortunately, decided that having a baby was too much for him to handle, and I found myself taking the LSAT and applying to law schools as a single expecting mother. Needless to say, I was scared and questioned whether or not I should continue down the path of graduate school. But law school was my my dream for many years, and too many women give up on a dream they have had because of motherhood. I vowed I would not be just another statistic, and that, unlike the girls I grew up around, I could be a mother and have the career of my dreams. Therefore, with the challenge of motherhood, rather than letting life dictate me, I instead decided to overcome the difficulty and pursue my dream.
When I enter law school in the fall of 2011, I will have a 6 month year old newborn baby girl, Sophie Pearl. Becoming a first time mother has shifted my priorities immensely and I am determined to build a future not only for myself, but for my baby girl. I understand the rigors of law school and the hardships of single motherhood are obstacles to be feared on their own, nonetheless doing both at the same time. Yet I am a determined and strong willed woman, and I have a new goal of becoming a role model for my daughter. By being a role model, I will show her that we truly can do whatever we set our minds to, regardless of the obstacles in our way.
A diverse school is important to gaining knowledge. Diversity allows different perspectives to be shared, conflicting thoughts to be expressed, and viewpoints from an immense spectrum of backgrounds to be divulged into one setting. I know my perspective as a single mother of a newborn will be an attribute to Thomas Jefferson and the entering class of fall 2011. As John Dewey once said, “we are what we experience”, and it is no doubt that my experiences as a single mother through this process will contribute in a positive way to my point of view during class discussions, relationships with fellow students, and my drive to succeed in school and beyond. Further, my motherhood perspective will allow me to appreciate other diversities and value what others may offer to my education as well.
This journey will undoubtedly be a difficult one, more difficult than what the average hard working student may endure. But I am not only willing to succeed, but determined to do so more for Sophie. I am lucky in that my life will be starting in two ways in 2011: having a baby, and starting law school. I have no room to fail in either path. Thus, I welcome the diversity of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and am happy to present the diverse expereinces that I bring as well. Through a diverse school, I can truly enjoy what John Stuart Mill called the “marketplace of ideas”, and thus become a successful practicing attorney in the future.
I’m not married! I’m single!
Change one word in your last paragraph… should be ‘on either path’ instead of ‘in either path’…
But I think its wonderful! Way better and more positive than the last one I read about a year ago!