Several events, unrelated at the time, have led to my interest in law. My love of writing, inquisitive nature, and humanitarian mindset navigated me to pursuing a Political Science and Journalism BA. I sought the truth, to tell stories, and to bring awareness to oppressed populations on a local and international level. Today I continue to pursue the same goals, although detours in my life have changed the "how" in meeting these goals.In 2017 I returned to the U.S. from the Gambia, in West Africa, after just a month into my Peace Corps training. I felt low and disappointed to have abandoned a path that I thought was calling to me. During months of soul searching I happened to come across the book Just Mercy. The book is based on true stories of a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, who dedicates his life to social justice and criminal defense. Stevenson’s story brought to light the reason I had chose to join the Peace Corps, to help people, more specifically to help the voiceless. Reading the book brought my attention to my natural abilities, skills, and life experiences and illustrated the parallels between Stevenson and myself and I thought, “I can do that too.” Additionally my present role with the City of Fort Collins has shown me that local government is a major resource in creating real change, from the ground up, for the whole community. The courses I have taken in pursuit of my law degree have reinforced the choices I made to be where I am, in a position to create real positive change and the opportunity to defend the defenseless. How this all may come to be is unknown, but I know I am back on the path to justice.