1. What have you been doing since graduating from TU in 1999?

After graduation, I moved back to Houston for the summer and then began graduate school in the fall.  I attended University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, Institute for the Medical Humanities.  In 2001 I earned an M.A. in Medical Humanities. This is an interdisciplinary study of humanities subjects and how medicine interacts or is influenced by those subjects.  My classes included Religion and Medicine, Women and Medicine, Interpreting Texts, a writing class, and a directed study of Principles of Bioethics by Beauchamp and Childress.  My thesis was titled, “Stopping the Silence: Understanding the Problems of Miscarriage.”  It looked at miscarriage as a social problem in light of the abortion debate in the United States and proposed an alternate view of personhood as a means of reconciling the opposing positions of the abortion debate and miscarriage.

2. What are you doing now?

In fall 2000, while I was still working on my master’s degree, I started law school at the University of Houston Law Center. I am in now in my third year at UH Law Center and will graduate in May.  I am doing research for a professor at the Law Center for the revised Corbin on Contracts (one of the more famous contract law treatises).  I am working on the section in Corbin on Contracts on parol evidence, which is evidence that is not included in the contract, but which could be used to interpret the contract or settle disputes between parties to a contract.  I am also clerking for an attorney-mediator, doing research and writing an article.   My research and writing are about the role of the appointed guardian ad litem in complex civil litigation in Texas.  In civil cases where parents sue on behalf of themselves and their children, and there is a potential conflict in those interests, courts appoint a guardian ad litem to act as the personal representative of the child.  The paper will address practical implications of the role of the guardian ad litem and how to appropriately participate in litigation in that role.

3. What are your plans for the future?

I am looking for a job now, and I  plan to go into litigation.  I am most interested in major crimes, like fraud and antitrust, but am not sure what area of practice I will end up in.  In the beginning, I think I will be on the prosecution side of criminal law. Fraud and antitrust are mainly areas of federal law and it takes longer to break into that field, but that is my long-term goal.

4. What has been the most rewarding experience for you in the last 2 years? 

My most rewarding experience was finishing my thesis for the Master’s program at UTMB.  I was in the second year of school while I completed it and there were times when I was not sure I would get it done.  The satisfaction of completing such a big project was great, especially since I had been working on it for so long.  It was hard to sustain interest in the project over time and not get discouraged, but the result was well worth the effort.

5.  What have been the most difficult experiences since graduating? 

My most difficult experience since leaving TU has been balancing the two areas of graduate study that I have pursued.  I started in the Medical Humanities program, thinking I would pursue that area later in law school as well.  However, in law school, I have seen my interests and strengths develop in other areas of law.  It has been hard for me to allow myself to pursue those areas and let go of the “master plan” I had made for myself.  In the end, though, I found ways to use what I learned in graduate school to supplement the areas of law that I am interested in.  I have also realized that there was other value in the time I spent in graduate school, such as my increased confidence and improvements in writing.

6.  What kind of obstacles have you faced?

I started both graduate school and law school not knowing a huge amount about the programs and not knowing any other students.  In both instances, there was a time when I was not sure I had made the right decision and felt like everyone else was a lot smarter and happier than I was.  In time, though, those feelings wore off and I grew more comfortable and confident in the programs and in the choices I had made.  Of course there are benefits to starting in a new place, but it was a challenge to become comfortable in those new environments.

7.  What sources of support have you drawn on?

            I have relied a great deal on my family in the last four years.  They have become my sounding board and sources of encouragement when I have faced difficult times and decisions.  
            I have also become more comfortable depending on professors for help and advice. 
            Finally, I have gotten involved in other activities and organizations.  These have been very helpful in keeping me from becoming too bogged down by school and help me maintain perspective and some outside interests.  It helps me to have other things to do that are not school-related and that I can have fun doing.

8.  What advice do you have for current sociology majors?

     1.      Be proud of what you have learned as sociology major.  I think too often we think that being a sociology major means we have to go to graduate school to continue our educations.  I have found that what I learned as sociology major has helped me in my understanding not only of the subjects I have learned, but also in my understanding of the underpinnings of many subjects and a more open perspective on many issues.

     2.      Have a plan.  It helps a great deal to have some long-term goals and broad ideas about what you want to do, so that you can focus your efforts on those areas. 

     3.      With that said, don’t be afraid to change your plans!  I have found that my interests have changed and that I have had to revise my ideas about the future, but having some idea of where I wanted to end up has helped me deal with those changes and integrate my new interests into the long-range plan.  I know I am happier exploring those new areas than I would have been sticking to a rigid plan.