I applied for this major back on April 10th, and since then I have been anxious, nervous and pretty on edge waiting to hear back from the Law, Societies and Justice department. I am glad to say that I have been accepted will be filling out the paper work to officially declare my major soon.
I guess I can share my story now. Upon entering college, I had no idea what I was going to do. I knew beforehand that I had a strong passion for advocacy, for justice, for supporting the law, for giving the voiceless a voice and for improving the community by correcting the injustices within the community. I knew a deep knowledge over my high school years of the harsh reality outside of my perfect bubble and I knew about the struggles and injustices people faced every day in the United States and outside of it. But I never went with this strong instinctive desire. I really wanted to get into criminal justice or forensic science, but UW did not have a distinctive major for that, and I did not know about the LSJ program.
Upon entering college, I decided to go the safe route, to apply to be a business major and I took classes that pointed me towards it. I eventually realized that business was not the route for me. I simply did not have the passion within to continue to pursue something that did not spark passion. Why go a safe route if I was to dread every class? I then entered a phase where I did not know what to do with my college career.
I dabbled with the pre-medical major classes, I looked into the dental hygiene major, into the computer science major and everything that looked SAFE. That looked like it would allow for me to have a stable living, to have a stable paying job. Then fortunately for me, spring of 2013, I took LSJ 200 and it re-sparked my interest for advocacy. I was no longer lost because I realized this was where my passion laid. It laid within reading philosophical issues in the law, reviewing case studies, researching statistics about incarceration rates, debating the injustices and inequality that arise in society today and from back then, everything this major offers and is basically defines all my interests. It was then I decided to go for the LSJ major.
Upon applying, I was scared. A lot of people wanted to apply, a lot of people were re-applying and a lot of people complained about how difficult the major was to get into. I was anxious, scared, nervous and definitely on edge (I've said it once and I'll say it again). I couldn't eat right, I couldn't focus… I was really scared I wasn't going to get in…
Today upon my return home, I opened my school email and saw the email from the LSJ advisor; I had been accepted. I literally jumped out of my chair, leaped and jumped around, ran outside to tell my mom I made it in, and literally splurged on all my social media platforms.
All I can say is follow your dreams and do what you love! Never do something you do not want to do, and do not follow the footsteps of another person because they force you to. It's your life. Be happy, be yourself, and do what you are passionate about. Being passionate will ensure success in any and everything you do.
