What is your job/position?
I am a business and intellectual property attorney, specializing in trademark law. My husband and I are part-owners in several franchises. I spend much of my personal time writing for pleasure and am in the very beginning stages of getting my work published.
Describe the path that took you from your American Studies degree to your current career or life situation.
My American Studies degree helped me realize that I was a good writer and wanted to further my education. I worked as a paralegal at a law firm while my husband finished his MBA. Then I attended law school and found that I preferred transactional work to litigation. Law school taught me how to study effectively. My experience in law school changed the way I think and see the world. As an attorney, I continue to develop my skills in negotiation and hope to use these to become a mediator.
What are the specific competencies you cultivated as an American Studies student that you now use in your professional life and that set you apart from your colleagues?
Cultural and ethical awareness, social policy analysis, and how to spot and create connections between two disparate ideas.
What are some of the surprising ways in which your American Studies degree has helped you in your professional or personal life?
I attended a study abroad, visiting many countries in Africa and Europe and learning about environmental law and bioethics in each place. In my personal life, this experience gave me the travel bug and also gave me a better appreciation for and understanding of cultures and people that are different from me. Professionally, I gained great mentors whose teachings and influence have shaped the way I think and also helped me get into law school.
What do you wish you had known as an American Studies student? What advice would you share with current students?
I wish I had been able to work on some kind of academic publication.