Finishing Up at CLARD and Looking Towards the Future
When I first arrived at William & Mary Law School, I did so with the intention of gaining an education necessary to make the earth a more just and equitable place for all. I recognize that this goal is not something that can be achieved in a day, nor can I do so alone. However, it remains my dream, and I hope that I can take steps towards that goal by helping individuals and groups in times of hardship alongside many others who share my mission.
My time at CLARD has allowed me to already begin work towards that mission. The grant proposals I helped CLARD to prepare will fund CLARD’s ability to both provide legal aid to those in need and uphold human rights in Kosovo, the legal research I performed will help CLARD to address problems with Kosovo’s Law on Crime Victim Compensation, and the pamphlet I designed informing survivors of violent crimes and their dependents of their rights to compensation and how to receive this compensation should help many escape cycles of crime and poverty. I am very grateful to both CLARD and William & Mary for this opportunity to learn through experience while actively helping others.
The most practical thing I have gained through my work at CLARD is a clearer understanding of how to perform legal research. As an undergraduate studying history, I wrote a number of research papers which prepared me for some of the extensive level of investigation required for many legal projects, and I was able to practice various modes of legal writing through the Legal Practice Program at William & Mary, but my legal research with CLARD was my first real-world application of those skills. Now that I have put together those puzzle pieces and created my first true legal research paper, I am excited to apply that skill to new projects.
Still, just as it began, my summer ends with the world in a state of uncertainty. As current events unfold, and inequities throughout the globe continue to reveal themselves, I find it difficult to turn away from the world and back toward school again. I still intend to do all that I can to help others in my local community and beyond while I attend school online this semester, but I continue to look forward to next summer and my career of service beyond, when I can fully apply all that I have learned at both William & Mary and CLARD and work for others in need.