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Post by oliviadelapp on Apr 24, 2022 7:10:04 GMT
Today I went on my big-little date with Caroline. We started off the day pretty early, around 11am. I met her at Saxon, and we ubered from there to the Century City mall for the first part of our day. Once there, we went inside Sephora so that Caroline could try and get all of the products she needed, as she was attempting to try out new products and already had a list of things ready for what she wanted to purchase. She ended up able to buy all of the things she wanted, and I left with a new Ordinary skincare serum that Caroline had recommended and the Urban Decay setting spray. The Sephora employees talked both me and Caroline into signing up for a Sephora credit card. Caroline and I are still both unsure of what the perks and cons are to having this card, but at least it took 25% off of our purchase. After Sephora we headed over to Aritzia, where I spent a ridiculous amount of money on one pair of pants and a shirt that could be considered business casual. We also had to wait in the ginormous dressing line twice to try on both of these items, but at least I know they fit. The plan after Aritzia was to get lunch in the food court, but I got distracted on our way over there by CottonOn and convinced Caroline to look inside too. They had a really good beach theme going on with all of the clothes in their store, and I ended up getting this cute crochet top that is perfect for a beach day. Caroline also purchased some items in CottonOn, buying a pair of black cargo pants and the perfect button down shirt for the beach. We finally made it to the food court after buying these items and scarfed down some Chipotle before heading off to our next destination: B & J nails. Caroline was hyping this place up to me the whole day, and after going there, I can see why. I was able to get a really cute gel-x set of nails done that have a yin-yang design for sixty dollars. This was especially shocking because all the other places I have gone to in LA have been well over 100 dollars.The lady was also able to do it in 45 minutes, which is also very impressive, so 10/10 recommend if you need a new nail place. I was so grateful that I ended up giving the nail tech a 20 dollar tip. After this, we came back to campus to get our beach bags, and then headed over to Will Rogers. There we read on the beach and watched the sun go down. At around 7, we took an uber to bplate and had one of the best dining hall experiences I’ve ever had. Bplate had cheesecake bites, which me and Caroline both had at least five of. They also had their infamous steak and baked purple potatoes. After this, we walked back up the hill and parted ways for to go back to our respective dorms. My big-little date with Caroline was so fun, a much needed break from all of the stresses of pledging. Even though I already knew Caroline before today and even before rush through our sorority, I was glad to get to know her better today and can already tell she is going to be a great big for me. We’re already planning out what we’re getting on our next shopping trip, but we promised to only make it a bi-monthly thing so our pockets don't sting too much. She also inspired me to dye my hair, and at her recommendation I made an appointment at Bruin Hair Bar to get my hair dyed strawberry blonde on May 20th. This choice of color was also made because of her recommendation, so if it turns out bad I’m blaming her. All in all, it was a material girl day for some material girls. Attachments:
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Post by oliviadelapp on May 1, 2022 22:43:06 GMT
A field of law in which I would be interested in studying is Criminal Justice Law. I have always wanted to pursue a career in which I provide justice for my community, but did not really know what exactly I wanted to do until my junior year of high school. In my English Composition class junior year we read a book called "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson, which details a man named Walter Macmillian's wrongful conviction of first-degree murder and the long and arduous process of clearing his name. This book was a source of outrage and inspiration to me, as I could not believe that a person could be convicted for such a large charge and sentenced to death row when there were so many loopholes in the prosecution's story. This book, as well as several other patterns I have noticed in the world in recent years, has inspired me into looking into being a criminal justice lawyer.
Criminal lawyers represent defendants in state, federal, and appellate courts. They can represent these defendants in a variety of different cases, including but not limited to violent crimes, sex crimes, and even cases regarding theft, embezzlement, and fraud. They could be involved in bail bond hearings, trial hearings, parole appeals, and plea bargains. Some specific things that a criminal justice lawyer may do are investigate the case and interview witnesses, negotiate with the prosecution for a lesser sentence, and build a defense and develop a case strategy.
While it is obviously worthwhile to represent those that did not commit the crimes they are accused of, many law students are not drawn to criminal law because of the fact that for the majority of the time, you are defending those who did commit the crime and were fully aware of what they were doing while they were doing it. However, to me, being a criminal lawyer simply means finding the appropriate sentence for your client and giving the community the fair ruling for the specific case you are working on.
As far as what it takes to actually become a criminal lawyer, like all lawyers, one must achieve a bachelor's degree as well as obtain a law degree. The process of obtaining both of these degrees typically takes around 7 years to complete, but many lawyers take longer as a result of gap years or other conflicts with their schooling. After obtaining both of these degrees, the graduate must take and pass the bar exam in the state in which they desire to practice criminal law. Some lawyers go on to earn a board certification from the National Board of Legal Speciality Certification, or the NBLSC.
Most criminal lawyers work in a private practice or solo firm; however, some work for non-profit organizations or for the government as public defenders. I am still unsure where I would like to work if I become a criminal law lawyer, as typically those who work in private practice firms make more money, but I also know that the government is in desperate need of better public defenders.
As far as workload goes, criminal justice lawyers work long irregular hours, often visiting clients outside of their office at the courthouse, prisons, as well as other venues. Attorneys working in private practice firms often work extra hours conducting research or preparing additional documents.
In the past 30 years, the number of people sentenced to prison has risen threefold. Because more Americans are being charged under state and federal laws, the need for criminal lawyers to defend the accused will also increase. According to the BLS, the job growth for all attorneys from 2016-2026 is eight percent, relative to other jobs and occupations. This statistic shows that the need for criminal justice lawyers is going to continue to rise, and I hope that through hard work and commitment I could be one in seven short years.
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Post by oliviadelapp on May 9, 2022 0:25:36 GMT
One of the law schools that I am very interested in going to is Columbia Law School. One of the many reasons why I want to go to Columbia Law school is because of its location. Growing up, because my dad was in the military, I moved around a lot and got to experience many different places. However, the East Coast in general is not one of them. Although I have never been to New York, I feel as though I would love the city and think that living there in law school is ideal, as this is the prime time in my life in which I will be independent, and the amount of opportunities and experiences that New York could give an aspiring lawyer in their early 20's is something that cannot be beaten. Another obvious reason one might consider Columbia law school is for the prestige that it offers. Columbia is known as one of the highest-ranked law schools in the world, trailing only behind Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. Besides being a major flex, going to a school like this would ensure that any future firms or employers would know I earned a top-notch education, and I would probably receive better job offers. Furthermore, Columbia Law School approaches Criminal Justice, the field of law I am interested in pursuing from a multitude of perspectives. I believe looking at law from different perspectives like historical, philosophical, and political can give you a better overall idea of what it is that you’re studying and make your outlook on it better. It also says on its website that Columbia law students have the opportunity to work directly on faculty on prevalent issues such as cash bail, mass incarceration, sentencing, juvenile justice, and capital punishment. For one, being able to work directly with faculty on issues like this is very helpful, as you are able to learn from a knowledgeable perspective, from someone who has seen cases concerning issues like this for years and knows exactly what they are talking about. Additionally, many of the issues mentioned on their website are things I am already very passionate about, including mass incarceration, juvenile justice, and capital punishment. I am currently taking a Neurolaw cluster seminar where we have already discussed issues such as juvenile sentencing and the errors that can go along with capital punishment, such as putting a person on death row for a crime they did not commit. As I already know I am passionate about these issues, I would love to be able to attend Columbia for Law School in order to expand my knowledge on these issues and also hopefully be a part of the people that are able to find solutions to aspects of these problems. Furthermore, Columbia has an excellent alumni network that includes more than 27,000 individuals in 120 countries. Some of these people are United States Supreme Court Justices, as well as CEOs and entrepreneurs. These people could serve as a valuable resource throughout my professional career and could give me a lot of connections once I hopefully graduate from Columbia Law. Columbia Law school also has a library that is home to one of the premier collections of legal materials in the country; it not only has half a million titles in 150 languages, but the library also employs a staff of reference librarians in order to aid law students in their research. This huge amount of material to use for research as well as the fact that Columbia employs a team of people in the library to help their students succeed persuades me more and more that I would be a very successful student and eventual lawyer if I attended Columbia Law.
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Post by oliviadelapp on May 22, 2022 8:29:52 GMT
A non-governmental organization that I would be interested in working for in the future is CARE or cooperative assistance and relief everywhere. This humanitarian organization attempts to provide relief to those who have been displaced from their homes through violence or political conflict, as well as raise money to get those around the world the basic care that they need to survive. In 2021, CARE worked in 102 countries, reaching more than one hundred million people through more than 1400 programs. These programs attempt to aid people in global conflicts. For example, CARE launched its two-year Fast and Fair initiative, providing vaccine delivery to almost one hundred million people. CARE’s initiative and global vaccine response to Covid-19 focused on three areas: healthcare workers, women and refugees, and community education. CARE explains that the reasoning behind their focus on healthcare workers and women is that these groups are some of the primary caregivers of their communities, and CARE wants to support them as they serve their communities. In regards to community education, CARE provides key education resources to combat vaccine stigma within marginalized environments so that everyone feels safe in taking the vaccine for Covid-19. This is just one of the initiatives that CARE has undergone. CARE has also taken to help rebuild Haiti, after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that struck it and displaced thousands of Haitian individuals. CARE has supported more than 119,000 people since the earthquake, mostly with water, hygiene supplies, and information, and has vowed to continue to help the people of Haiti. CARE also helps villages combat malnutrition in their communities. CARE has a program called Hamzari that addresses food insecurity and malnutrition in the country Niger. Hamzari provided Niger residents with information on a new food that families could eat, and provided them with new ways to grow and develop this food, including the concept of market gardening. All of CARE’s programs show that while money certainly helps heal communities and provides them with support, what is even more important to give marginalized communities is information. Sometimes, a community may not be engaging in the correct solution to their problem because they are simply misinformed. Educating individuals on the situation from the outside may give people the perspective they need to overcome certain obstacles and reach a solution. The reason why I would choose CARE as the non-governmental organization I would work at is because they combine Education with providing relief to people in need. Because my mother is a teacher, I was taught my entire life that educated is one of the most important qualities an individual can possess. I also got to see the rewards of education through my mom’s work, so the fact that one of CARE’s main priorities is educating people is one of the reasons that it is so appealing to me. Furthermore, because I moved around a lot as a child, I was able to see from a young age that not everyone is given the same opportunities in regard to schooling, work, and even basic necessities. This never seemed fair to me, that just because an individual was born in a poorer household or in a community that had an internal conflict, they were worse-off in the long run for things they cannot control. This ingrained in me from an early age a passion to help get those in marginalized communities the resources that other, wealthier societies already have. CARE also shares this passion, with several of its programs focusing on providing equal access to essential resources, such as giving poorer Indian citizens the Covid vaccine. CARE’s commitment to providing better resources and therefore a better life to all is one of the primary reasons why I would like to work for them.
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