The 2011 Eleven

2011 was a significant year for me.  Both joyful and challenging, the following eleven events sum up the most consequential moments of the year.

Final Finals, Finally

No more school,

Yet, way more books,

Is the bar exam as hard as it looks?

I had my last class of law school on Friday.  While it wasn't very representative of my classroom experience these past three years, it was delightful: my professor had our fact-finding mission team over to her house for lunch.  We debriefed our year-long seminar, and popped open some champagne to celebrate our hard work.  The fact-finding mission has been one of the best things about law school, so it was a great way to conclude.

Of course, it's not quite over yet...  I'll be working on final exams for the next two weeks.  I have an essay due tomorrow for Nonprofit Organizations, an in-class exam on Thursday for Family Law II, and then self-paced take-home exams for Immigration Law & Policy and Law & Development.  All told, this is actually the easiest final exam period that I will have had in law school, which is nice.

While my take-home exams aren't due until May 17th, my family arrives on the 14th, so my goal is to finish things before they arrive.  I may even be able to finish things sooner than that, depending on my efficiency and diligence.  However, I also want to complete the Early Bar Prep work that Barbri has provided us with to work on before our bar review course begins on the 23rd, so I'll be keeping myself busy one way or another.

Despite outlining and paper writing, I've had some fun during the past week or so.  I attended the Easter Vigil at Holy Trinity last weekend, which was standing room only and a beautiful service that made me both laugh and tear up.  Last Sunday, the CSA had our third annual Easter Brunch, which is always delicious and fun.

On Monday, I had an insightful conversation over dinner (at Busboys and Poets, yum) with a new friend I had met the week prior at the Holy Thursday Mass on main campus.  Isn't it a bummer to make new friends right before one is about to move cross-country?

I spent most of Tuesday at a very interesting Immigration Law & Policy Conference that was hosted by the law school, the Migration Policy Institute, and CLINIC (Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.).  I loved that my Immigration professor told us to skip class to attend the conference instead.  Many of the take-away points were unsurprising: we need comprehensive immigration reform, ICE needs to start using their new PBNDS, and indigent immigrants in the court system should have the right to counsel.  However, I did find the session on 287(g) agreements and Secure Communities to be particularly insightful, because they had the Chief of Police from Prince William County, VA, speak about how they implemented 287(g), and its impact on the community.

Friday night was the Poverty Journal's end-of-year banquet, which was at La Tasca.  We had delicious tapas and sangria, and then hung out at a nearby bar called Redline.  The bar has self-serve beer taps at every table, which was pretty unique.  My Editor-in-Chief, Betsy, gave me a splendidly nerdy mug that says "data are plural," which was an issue we had to address repeatedly during our edits this past year.  Being Managing Editor was a lot of work this year, but I'm going to miss working on the journal.

Yesterday, Jess and I, along with our friend and fellow Cal alum Mike, went to the ballpark to watch the Giants beat the Nationals.  I hadn't been to the Nationals park before, and was very impressed by the layout--we were in the cheap seats for the first half of the game, but I still felt like I had a great view.  And, the food was delicious; I had a Ben's chili dog and funnel cake.  The best part of the game was at the end when Brian Wilson closed--I was proud to be wearing my number 38 jersey!

Alas, my blogging study break is officially over.  Back to paper writing!

Wrapping up Lent

The past two weeks have been very exciting for my human rights fact-finding mission, because we are doing advocacy work on the Hill and with federal agencies to push for policy revisions to address the problems we identified in our report.  It is liberating to be able to do more than point out a problem--to actually present ideas on how to solve those problems, and hopefully have an impact on the lives of future persons with mental disabilities at risk of being deported.  So far, I have been part of a panel discussion at American University, met with an attorney at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and met with the staff of Senator Gillibrand and Senator Leahy (collecting many business cards along the way).  There are a few more big meetings coming up, so we'll see what happens!

Other things going on?  Let's see, I've tabled with my journal for a bake sale to raise money for DC Books to Prisons, I attended a lovely reprise of Thanksgiving dinner at Brad and Marie's, we took our panoramic class photo (and it felt like high school all over again), the Catholic Student Association had a well-received Fish Fry, I saw the Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society perform The Sorceror, I took several strolls around the Tidal Basin at night with Jess, we made butterbeer, I was the narrator for Palm Sunday Mass, and I've been studying for final exams and writing a paper.

Last night, a few of us from the CSA trekked over to main campus for Holy Thursday Mass.  It was a very nice service, and struck me as a peaceful culmination of my Lenten experience.  For most of Lent, I was not as devoted as I would have liked.  However, things turned around a couple of weeks ago when I went to confession and renewed my commitment to a prayerful pursuit of God.  He is awesome.  My favorite part of the Holy Thursday Mass was the procession out of Dahlgren Chapel at the end of the Mass with the body of Christ.  We sang and walked through Healy, around the side of the building to the  Copley Crypt Chapel, which was calming and sincere.

My Triduum continues with a service at St. Joseph's on the Hill today, Easter Vigil tomorrow night at the Basilica of the National Shrine, and the CSA's third annual Easter Brunch on Sunday.  Hopefully, I'll find time to work on a paper and do some outlining this weekend, too...

We Have Liftoff!

Yesterday's report launch was very successful!  Everyone did an amazing job, and I'm so proud of the work we've done this year.  We had well over 50 people attend the launch, plus more who tuned in online.  (I'll post a link to the webcast as soon as I get it.)

My part of the presentation was on the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, and I felt great about how it went.  I was particularly impressed by how my fellow team members fielded questions at the end of the presentation--it was a little unnerving because we couldn't prepare for that and just had to take questions as they came, but we all have particular areas of expertise at this point, so at least one of us had an answer to each question.

Finally, our report is now publicly available as a PDF!  Check it out--if not to read the whole thing (it's quite long), then at least to see how pretty it is, with the professional graphic design.  It's a real, actual, published report!  So surreal.

Report Launch on Friday

This year, I have been a part of a year-long human rights fact-finding mission seminar through the Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute.  Along with eight other law students, I have been studying the impact of U.S. deportation policies and practices on the human rights of persons with mental disabilities, which included spending a week in Kingston, Jamaica, in January interviewing dozens of deported persons and practitioners.  This Friday, our 124-page report will be released to the public!  We are hosting a report launch that will be attended by dozens of human rights practitioners and government officials, and I will be one of the student panelists presenting our findings.

If you are interested, there's information below about how to watch a live webcast of our report launch on Friday at noon Eastern (9 am Pacific).  I will also post a link to our report and a recording of the report launch once those go public.  The research, report writing, and advocacy work that I have been doing this past year on this issue has been one of the most meaningful and worthwhile experiences of my law school career, and I just wanted to share it with you.

March to Victory

I have been working non-stop for the past three weeks!  My human rights fact-finding report on the repatriation of persons with mental disabilities is officially complete--sent it to our graphic designer this morning!--after a ton of work from our amazing group of nine students.  I've been putting in about 25 hours of work per week on the report this month, on top of my full course load, the Poverty Law Journal, the Catholic Student Association (CSA), and searching for a job.  However, I'm energized rather than exhausted.  I love being busy.  Boredom is my worst enemy.  To that end, here are some highlights from the past three weeks...

• I got a very short haircut, which I'm enjoying immensely.  It is so nice to not have hair on my neck!  I told the stylist that I didn't want any hair past my jawline, and she did a great job.
• I did a series of informational interviews with immigration non-profits in the Bay Area while I was in town for Spring Break.  No one was hiring, but I got some good information about what it's like in the field, and about public interest law in general.
• I tried out a delicious, yet simple, sautéed shrimp recipe from my new cookbook, and had Brad and Marie over for dinner.  Yum!
• The CSA had Fr. Ray Schroth, the author of a new biography on Fr. Bob Drinan, come speak at an event.  I enjoyed learning more about Fr. Drinan, and even got a signed copy of the book.
• My journal hosted a symposium on the intersection of legal education and poverty law, which was very successful.
• It started to feel like spring, but then regressed to winter.  Snow in late March?!  I do not approve.
• I did some trash clean-up at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, which is so beautiful!  We sorted and bagged over a dozen giant bags of trash and recyclables.  I really wish people would stop littering.

There are many more things that I could talk about: e.g., getting addicted to John Grisham novels, journal bake sale tabling for prisoner literacy, planning the CSA budget, Bluebooking, crashing the Tax Journal's end-of-year party, handing out free St. Patrick's Day cookies, sooo much report editing...  But, I don't want to ramble.

In other news, there are five weeks of classes left, and I graduate in 55 days.  Our human rights report launch is in two weeks, and we have a ton of amazing advocacy meetings lined up with D.C. policy makers.  It's definitely starting to feel like the home stretch, and I'm excited!  Please keep my job search in your prayers--I have an interview this Friday (which I don't want to blog about until after the fact).

Overcoming the Sniffles

I've been battling a terrible cold for nearly a week, bleh.  Nonetheless, I forced myself to get a lot of work done from my bed, and even managed to drag myself out of the apartment for a bit of fun.  (Oh, the wonders of Dayquil!)  I'm feeling somewhat better today, thank goodness.

The human rights fact-finding report is coming along nicely.  After a major restructuring, our second draft is nearly complete.  I love the work that we are doing, and am so excited for our report launch on March 25!  There's a lot of work to be done between now and then, but I'm feeling good about it.

On Friday afternoon, after I got out of a make-up class, I spontaneously decided to go to the movies.  I had been dying to see The King's Speech, so I took the bus over to a somewhat run-down little theatre in Shirlington and watched it.  The theatre was almost empty, which could either be due to everyone on the planet having already seen it, the odd hour of the day (5:30 pm on a Friday is a bit early), or the dilapidated state of the theatre (especially the concessions--cold popcorn and warm soda, yum).  I really enjoyed the movie.  Colin Firth was brilliant, and I loved Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue.

I spent most of Saturday sleeping and working, but did manage to go out for a birthday party.  It's a funny story, actually...  For my birthday dinner last September, my dear friend Matthew decided to take an outrageously long bus ride all the way from Boston to attend, because, well, he had the time!  Matthew asked if his friend Camille could also attend, so that he could see her as well during his brief DC visit, and I was happy to have her come--the more, the merrier, as they say.  Well, things did not go exactly as planned, and Matthew's bus was delayed, such that he missed the dinner.  However, Camille made it, and we had a delightful time meeting for the first time at my birthday party!  It was a rather amusing way to meet someone, and we've run into one another since then at a Catholic young adult event in the city.  So, to reciprocate, Camille graciously invited me to her birthday party, which was Saturday night!  It was a costume cocktail party, with delicious hors d'oeuvres and fantastic outfits.  There was a 1920s theme, but I don't own a flapper dress or appropriate flair, so I decided to go as a reporter, which was a great hit!  I made a press pass to tuck into my fedora, and wore a vest and slacks, with a pencil and pad of paper as props.  It was nice to hang out with a bunch of people who weren't law students for an evening...  Sometimes, it's easy to forget that not everyone thinks and acts like a law student.

On Sunday, I pretended that I wasn't sick and went to school for a fact-finding meeting followed by Mass.  Then, I went home and slept and did work until heading over to Brad and Marie's for an Oscar viewing dinner party!  I made Bailey's Dark Chocolate Pudding for dessert, which is amazingly decadent.  Brad and Marie made a wonderful dinner (as always), including bruschetta, a fifteen bean soup, veal, and Brussels sprouts.  One couple who attended the party brought their adorable 10-week-old son, who was wearing a little raccoon onesie--so cute!  It was a lovely evening, and my first Oscar party.  It even made me want to watch more of the movies--especially Black Swan and The Social Network.

This week is going to fly by.  Speaking of flying: on Saturday night, I am flying home to California for Spring Break!  Bay Area kids, let's hang out...

Whirlwind

It has been a whirlwind start to the semester.  On top of my course load, I have been doing a lot of work for the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, and my human rights fact-finding mission just finished the first draft of our report.  This work has taken up so much of my time that, lately, I've been wishing for more "free time"--not to go have fun, but simply to have time for both homework and sleep.

Fortunately, things should be slowing down a bit soon.  I am really looking forward to this weekend, because we get next Monday through Wednesday off for Presidents' Day, and my dear friend Christopher is coming to visit!  It will be so lovely to take a few days off from the frenetic pace of the semester to live the life of a DC tourist while knocking off a few items from my DC to-do list.

Before we get too far into the semester, I wanted to take stock of my classes.

Family Law II: Georgetown Law splits family law into two courses: marriage and children.  I'm taking the class on children.  It's been very interesting so far, to think about the rights of children, paternity/maternity issues, how to define parent, and financial responsibility.  While I don't anticipate working explicitly in family law, I know that many of these issues will be relevant in any public interest career, so I'm glad to be getting an overview.

Immigration Law & Policy: I am really enjoying this course.  It feels a bit strange to have waited so long to take this course, given that this is what I want to do with my career.  Indeed, I find that between my internship with the Arlington Immigration Court and the other courses I've taken, I already know a lot of the material.  Nonetheless, it's nice to have all of this information presented in a coherent matter.  Plus, our professor is very passionate, and we have a lot of great policy discussions.

Law & Development: This course is not what I was anticipating.  I thought we'd be looking at how developing nations use the law to develop.  Instead, this is basically an economics course.  Seeing as I majored in International Political Economy, everything covered so far has been a rehash of things I learned in undergrad.  Hopefully this is just setting the framework for the course, and we'll get into development policy issues soon.

Non-Profit Organizations: I was also surprised by this course.  It is a lot more technical than I expected.  It feels like my Corporations class from last year, but looking at the formation of 501(c)(3) organizations.  Yet, it's not a tax class--there's a different course that looks at 501(c)(3) status.  Although the material is a bit tedious, I think it is good to understand the laws governing the operation of non-profit organizations, because I will most likely be working for non-profits in my career.

Fact-Finding Seminar: This is a continuation of the year-long seminar for my human rights fact-finding mission, but we don't meet very often as a class.  We've broken up into two teams--report writing and advocacy--and I'm on the report writing team.  It will be exciting to get feedback from the advocacy team on our first draft!  It was a great feeling to meet last night to take a look at our compiled first draft, which is 47 pages long, single spaced.  We put in a solid amount of work, and I'm pleased with the results.

Gallimaufry of Gallivanting

Hey, gang!  It's been a while.  Here are the highlights from the past six weeks...

• It was nice to be home for Christmas with my family.  Christmas presents included a new iPhone 4G (soooo awesome) and a Brian Wilson jersey with a World Series patch.
• My brother Dan and I went to the UC Botanical Garden and roamed the streets of Berkeley.  I hadn't been on campus in ages; it was nice to be back.
• I saw some good friends from high school and Cal, which involved a lot of board games and restaurant outings.  For example, Alan and I played an outrageous game of Scrabble with FOUR bingos, fueled by bottomless cappuccinos at Denny's.
• I spent a week in Kingston, Jamaica, doing human rights research on the deportation of persons with mental disabilities.  It was an extremely productive trip, and I'm really excited to write up the report and do advocacy with my classmates!  Also, Jamaica is beautiful, and I would like to go back soon to actually see the island instead of spending 16 hours a day conducting interviews and typing up notes.
• Classes started.  I'll talk about my schedule in a separate post, but suffice it to say that school is a lot more manageable when one is not also doing an internship.
• I took advantage of DC Restaurant Week by hitting up two delicious restaurants: Acadiana and the Capital Grille.
• Jess and I went to the symphony at the Kennedy Center, and now I am in love with Beethoven's Triple Concerto.  Go listen to it!
• I went to the World of Pets Expo with Jess and her friend Ekat, which was entertaining.  The best animal there was definitely the sugar glider.  Sooo adorable, and completely willing to live in your pocket.  I want one!
• On our way to the expo, we stopped at Sonic, because neither Jess nor I had ever been.  It was delicious.  I am a huge fan of tater tots, and I cannot begin to express the awe-inspiring nature of the Red Velvet Cheesecake Blast.

That's all for now.  I left out the part about me working a lot and staying on campus really late almost every night, but, hey, I'm in law school, so that's implied.

October

I completely neglected to post last month, which is a testament to the busyness of this semester.  Here are some highlights.

I saw the National Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, which was incredible.

I went to Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA, with Brad and Marie, and enjoyed a gorgeous, lazy afternoon in which we were only slightly harassed by bees.

I was an usher at the Red Mass.  I escorted important people (e.g., diplomats from other countries) to their seats, and even got to shake hands with Justice Scalia!

I met some awesome Dominican brothers at an event the CSA held for the Feast of the Holy Rosary.

For Columbus Day weekend, I went to Boston for the first time, and saw Matthew and Tiffany!  Highlights included Harvard Square, the JFK Presidential Library, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Boston Public Library, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (performing Mahler's Symphony No. 2, Resurrection), MIT, the Freedom Trail, Old Ironsides (a.k.a., the U.S.S. Constitution), the Museum of Science, and apple picking with Theresa. See all of my photos, with lovely captions, here.

I went for a hike with Jess and Gabe at Great Falls Park.  Photos here.

I had a job interview through DOJ Honors to be a judicial law clerk with the San Francisco Immigration Court.  Keep your fingers crossed!

My Fact-Finding Mission officially decided that we'll be going to Jamaica in January to do research related to the repatriation of persons with mental disabilities.

Jess and I saw All's Well that Ends Well at the Shakespeare Theatre Company (and thus, I get to check that off of my D.C. to-do list, yay).

I began to study for the MPRE, the lawyer's ethics exam, which I will be taking on Saturday.

I rallied to restore Sanity!

I went as Brian Wilson for Halloween, and the Giants WON THE WORLD SERIES! Coincidence? I think not.

That's all for now, folks.  November shows no signs of slowing down.  Four weeks until finals?  Madness!

Bouquet of Newly Sharpened Pencils

The start of a new school year always makes me think of Tom Hanks' quote from You've Got Mail about wanting to give Meg Ryan a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils.  Last week was my first week of school, so I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my classes...

Public Interest Advocacy is a seminar about the public interest law movement.  As a future public interest attorney (I hope), I'm excited to learn more about the history of the movement, and to discuss possible answers to tough questions, including what is in the public interest, and who gets to decide.  My professor is arguing before the Supreme Court this semester, and invited us all to come watch!

I am both intimidated and invigorated by my Law of War seminar.  My professor used to run West Point's law of war program, and almost everyone in my class is active military (with an especially high number of Navy JAG officers).  Meanwhile, I am taking the class because of my interest in how the law of armed conflict (a.k.a., international humanitarian law) interacts with international human rights.  I think this class will challenge me to articulate my viewpoints, and will broaden my perspective on some arduous issues facing us in the context of 21st century terrorism.

My International Law of Labor and Employment class is more along the lines of international law classes that I have taken in the past.  Actually, it feels a bit like a throwback to my International Political Economy courses at Cal.  However, I am new to labor law issues, and thus am looking forward to learning more about the ILO, sweatshops, migrant workers, child labor, and the plethora of multilateral treaties attempting to address these human rights concerns.

As I mentioned back in April, I was accepted into the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action 2010-2011 fact-finding mission on the safe repatriation of persons with mental disabilities.  This includes a year-long Human Rights Fact-Finding Seminar with two professors and a fellow for only nine of us students.  It is going to be a lot of work, but well worth the effort.  We'll be researching all fall, traveling somewhere (TBA, possibly Mexico or Guatemala?) for a week in January to do on-the-ground interviews with persons who have experiences these issues, and then writing our report in the spring, followed by advocacy efforts related to our findings.  It's basically like running our own project within an NGO for a year, but getting course credit. I'm very excited!

I am also getting credit this semester for an awesome externship, but my employers have asked us to refrain from publicizing our positions online.  I will say that I am getting excellent experience in immigration law, and am thrilled to finally have broken into this field, as I am so interested in refugee and asylum issues.  If you're curious, I'd be happy to discuss offline.

Lastly, I am taking a one-unit seminar on The Practicing Lawyer and the Poor, which looks at the Catholic social teaching on the preferential option for the poor.  We'll be discussing the moral obligations of lawyers in the context of domestic and global poverty, which are issues very close to my heart.  We only meet four times during the semester--including once at our professor's house!--so I cannot yet comment on the class itself.  However, in preparation for our first class, I am currently reading Tracy Kidder's book Mountains Beyond Mountains, which details the incredible biography of Dr. Paul Farmer, a doctor-anthropologist who founded a health center and hospital in the small derelict village of Cange, Haiti.  I'm only ten chapters in, but am already captivated by the questions that Dr. Farmer's actions raise for me--especially whether it is possible to give enough, or indeed, too much of oneself.

So, that does it for classes.  My other major responsibilities for the year are Managing Editor for the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, and Co-Chair of the Catholic Student Association.  We had a wonderful time orienting our new staff editors for the Poverty Law Journal last week, including a rousing game of Bluebook Bingo!  (To my law school/lawyer readers: who else is excited about the Rule 18 revisions in the new 19th edition of the Bluebook, by the way?!)  The CSA is off to a good start as well; we had a well-attended pancake brunch after last Sunday's Mass of the Holy Spirit.

I also had time for fun non-academic things last week, but ironically my academics prevent me from delving into them at this juncture.  To be continued, with exciting tales of two birthdays, one symphony, and zero boredom!

Mid-Summer Evaluation

I am already over halfway through my summer internship. Madness! I have learned so much these past five weeks. My legal research and writing has improved, I know a ton more about litigation, and I am familiar with two whole new areas of law--housing discrimination and predatory lending! I've interacted with some clients, sat in on court, mediations, and depositions, and gotten a ton of training. FHLP was the perfect choice for this summer, and I feel very blessed.

I thought that this would be a good time to check in on how my summer goals are going.

Read for pleasure. I am pleased to say that I have indeed been reading, and not just court cases. I am currently reading several books on my own: Reading the OED by Ammon Shea, Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor, and The Jesuit Guide to (Almost) Everything by Fr. James Martin. I am also participating in Still Thinking, the legendary virtual book club founded by CC this summer. We recently finished Machiavelli's The Prince, and are now starting Zadie Smith's On Beauty. (There is still time to join us for On Beauty!)

Begin to learn Spanish. I haven't been following the pace that I set for myself at the beginning of the summer, but I have completed six lessons, including greetings, restaurant basics, going places, and phone conversations. I want to go faster, but the lessons are several hours long each, and I am often not inclined to start one at the end of the day. I am also concerned about retention, so I don't want to go too fast. I will try harder to sit down and do lessons regularly.

Research and apply for fellowships and clerkships for after graduation. Working on it! There have been a few interesting opportunities so far... We'll see what happens.

Write On journal competition grading. I just finished judging my 20 case comments this evening, as the grades are due tomorrow. It was more work than I anticipated, but an interesting (and confidential) topic. Reading things written by 1Ls reminds me of how far I've come in my own legal writing this past year.

Spend quality time with friends, preferably on short Bay Area adventures. My most recent adventure was to Lovejoy's Tea Room in San Francisco for Alissa's birthday tea party! I'm not a big tea drinker--coffee is my love--but this was delicious and delightful. I drank an entire pot of Earl Grey tea with cream and sugar, which I enjoyed with a cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, an asparagus hummus sandwich, coleslaw, organic spring greens, a scone with preserves and double Devon cream, and a shortbread cookie. Also this weekend, I went with my family to see the SF Orchestra play at the Shoreline with fireworks for the Fourth of July, which was lovely. There have been other adventures already chronicled in this blog this summer, and there are more to come, including seeing Paul McCartney play at AT&T park this coming weekend, and flying to Portland to see my dearest Morgan get married!

Visit my grandmother as often as possible. I've seen my Nana at least once a week this summer, which is great. She is always so encouraging and sweet to me.

So, overall, I'm doing pretty well on my summer goals, though I could pick up the pace on a couple of my endeavors. I'm already getting excited about the fall, because we got back our results from course registration for next year! I'm still sorting out what to add and drop, but here are some of the classes in my probable future for the fall: International Labor & Employment, the Law of War, the Practicing Lawyer & the Poor, and Public Interest Advocacy. I will also be receiving credit for my externship with the Arlington Immigration Court, and for the Georgetown Law Human Rights Institute Fact-Finding Mission. Actually, I'm already doing work for the fact-finding mission this summer, soliciting information from knowledgeable folks about the safe repatriation of persons with mental disabilities. Busy busy busy, but that's how I like it. I'm very excited about being done with law school in a year, but I'm also trying to slow down and enjoy this final year of school before I take the bar and enter the "real world" on a full-time basis.

Wonderful Wednesday

Two really cool things happened yesterday. First off, my journal made the front page of the Georgetown Law Weekly for our Relay for Life team! Click on the article to see a larger version (I'm the one kneeling with a baseball cap on):

Secondly, I was offered (and accepted) a spot on the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action 2010-2011 fact-finding mission! In brief, it's a five credit, year-long course in which a team of students will research and produce a report on a human rights issue—next year's issue will be the repatriation of persons with mental disabilities. This is a huge opportunity for me, as it will be my first real foray into international human rights. And, we get to travel abroad to conduct interviews (it sounds like we'll be traveling to Mexico in January). Here's the full description:

This year-long experiential seminar is designed to support students participating in the Human Rights Institute/Georgetown Human Rights Action fact-finding project. These projects give students an opportunity to work as human rights investigators—researching a human rights problem in depth, conducting extensive interviews on the subject, drafting a comprehensive report on their findings, and engaging in related advocacy. Through this course, students will gain the substantive background and skills needed to carry out this work. Each year, Georgetown Human Rights Action and the Human Rights Institute identify a new topic on which to work. In 2010-2011, the selected topic is Safe Repatriation for Persons with Mental Disabilities. In the fall, the weekly seminar will cover relevant substantive law and policy on this subject, as well as fact-finding skills and methodology. In January 2011, we will travel as a group to conduct interviews on this subject. In the spring, students will draft a final report and engage in advocacy surrounding their findings; there will be seven 2-hour class sessions to guide students through these processes. Over the year, students will be expected to devote an additional 110 hours outside of class time to this project; all students must submit a record of this time. Grading for all credits will occur at the end of the spring semester. The letter grade will be based on individual memos and advocacy assignments, a joint pre-mission memo, co-teaching a class session, and a joint final report.

My heart is filled with joy about this opportunity. Thank you, Lord!