What is it that turns someone’s gaze toward law school? The answer, of course, is as varied as humankind itself, but every three years, BC Law Magazine has endeavored to find specific responses by exploring the admission statements of incoming 1Ls. This year’s group of five essays not only echo the longstanding mission of BC Law to do good in the world but also provide insights into the hearts and minds of a generation shaped by dramatic cultural and political changes and headed toward unprecedented social volatility.
That these students appreciate the role of law in addressing the major challenges to democracy and the values that sustain it—for example, the loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage that West Point graduate Justin Sells cites in his essay—is a sign of hope.
The writers offer other gifts in the form of vulnerabilities and determination, new ideas and hard-won victories, personal insights and compassionate outcomes. One student’s discovery of law’s failure to help a homeless boy set her on a path to ensure that such flaws are corrected. Another’s idyllic childhood memories of gathering sap for maple syrup now fuel her goal to prevent a climate disaster. A third 1L’s dual-national immigrant lineage forced him to examine his own—and others’—identity, and it led to a powerful choice.
Together, these bright, ambitious members of the Class of 2026 may well be the answer to helping this land of opportunity stay that way.
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