Law Student Diaries
For the fifth year, several SU law students are participating in our online student journals. Since the school year began, they have been gathering their thoughts and reflections about what it means to be an SU law student: from classroom experiences, to juggling commitments to making the most of their legal educations.
We invite you to travel through the year with the students as they share not only their confidences and anxieties but their accomplishments and success strategies. Hear what it's like to be an SU law student, as students candidly express views about not only law school, but also the law generally, and their professional aspirations.
New entries will be available approximately every few weeks as students find time to squeeze their updates into the busy lives.
Participants
Eileen Alexander, 1L
Eileen is a 1L part time evening student. A native of Seattle, she graduated from the University of Washington in 1992 with a liberal arts degree. After living in California, New York and Montana, Eileen returned to Seattle and works full time in the financial services industry. She is a volunteer with the Alzheimer's Association and is currently serving her first term on its board of directors. She credits her participation on the public policy committee as the inspiration for her application to law school. While keeping an open mind as to what kind of law she will practice, Eileen believes it will likely involve advocating for seniors.
Michael Charbonneau, 2L
Charb is a second year law student who is back in school after a first career in Higher Education Administration. He is originally from the Detroit area; he graduated from Central Michigan University with a BS in Psychology, and from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with a MS in Education. He promptly moved across the country to Bellingham, Washington to begin said first career. After using 'said' as an adjective too many times, he realized that law school was a more appropriate place, and that's where we can find him today, talking in the third person and creating lofty sentences that don't say anything.
Elizabeth D. Erving, 1L
Elizabeth is a native of Dublin, Ireland and has called Washington State home for 21 years. She lives on Bainbridge Island with husband, teenage son and puppy and proudly commutes to S.U. on a red Vespa scooter. A graduate of the University of Washington, Elizabeth holds a degree in business administration. Before attending UW, she was a newspaper reporter for the Cork Examiner Newspaper group. She covered general news, health affairs and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. After graduating from the UW, she began a career in residential real estate which spanned 20 years and included sales, leasing & property management. She is currently a licensed WA Real Estate Broker. An active volunteer in her community, Elizabeth has interest in Property, with a focus on water law.
Alisia Ford, 1L
Alisia is a full-time law student in the day program. She began her full-time studies in the summer of 2009. She is originally from Rochester, NY and grew up in Newport Beach, CA. She graduated from University of Southern California in December 2006 with a B.S. in Business Administration. Alisia has had the opportunity to work for various sports agencies and entertainment companies in the Southern California area. She has an interest in Sports and Entertainment Law but is trying to keep an open mind. In her spare time, Alisia enjoys traveling, rowing, watching college football games, going to the beach, and laughing with friends. She is still getting acclimated to the Seattle area and is excited for her first year of law school.
Kelly O'Brien, 3L
Kelly is a third-year part-time law student. Born and raised in the Caribbean, he spends his free time (what is that!?) scouring Seattle for a good roti. When he isn't being co-opted into helping his partner with her latest conceptual art endeavor, he's spending time with his four-year-old daughter. Kelly has a couple of degrees in English literature, which means he likes to make up new words by bastardizing old ones, and has a newly developed appreciation for a good night's sleep. He is surviving law school with a sense of humor, one tome at a time.
Lidice O'Brien, 3L
Lidice is a 3L evening student. Originally from California, her main focus at this moment is deciding whether to take the BAR in Washington or back home. She is currently working for a law firm in downtown Seattle that specializes in Criminal Law and Bankruptcy.
Fernanda Parra, '09
Fernanda, a recent graduate who is deeply committed to helping immigrants, women and children, is Seattle University School of Law's first intern with Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica. Maria Fernanda Parra-Chico, who graduated in May, is the only American among 23 interns this winter. Others chosen come from throughout Latin America and Europe.
