Throughout the first semester I
explored my passion of the law. I worked every Monday at Rueb & Motta LLP.
For most of my time working I was instructed to help the case manager of the BP
case. The law firm was a part of a class action lawsuit filing medical claims
against Deep Water Horizons for its use of chemicals to clean up the 2008 oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico. During this cleanup, most local fisherman and boat
owners were hired to release cleaning chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico to limit
the environmental hazards of the spill. Consequently, the chemicals that were
used caused some serious health effects. Most of the cases that were reported
dealt with skin problems including rashes and welts. Other injuries included
eye problems and back problems. My task began with sending letters to a list of
contacts and soliciting them to join the class action lawsuit. After I had
finished, I began calling potential clients who had not responded to the
letters. This part of my work was interesting. I was calling angry and confused
people and trying to convince them that this law office was on their side,
which was frustrating. Many people wanted to argue their claim with me. This
however, gave me an opportunity to reach out to people and provide some support
and assistance. I made a lot of people happy doing this work and that made me
happy. Overall, among the many things that I learned, I found that I love to
help people and helping people is a large aspect of being a defense attorney.
IQuest has had a profound impact on my self-esteem. I am no longer uneasy about
my love for the law and my dedication for standing up for what I believe in.
During
the second semester I will be switching from a mentorship to a personal
project. I will no longer be working at the law firm and will instead pursue my
passion for mountain biking. I expect that second semester will be just as fun
and productive as the first semester. Last weekend I won my first race of the
season. I had the fastest amateur time for every age group and the fourth
fastest time in the pro division. I am training rigorously with the help of my
coach, Mark Deterline, who owns Leadout Sports Endurance Coaching. I am ready
to work extremely hard to accomplish my mountain biking goals and am excited to
race this season!
