追求正义

Autumn Miene ’18 graduated from 皇冠体育 pursuing an entirely different career than what she had imagined as a freshman. 在仁慈山的时光帮助她发现了自己真正的激情所在。

奥顿申请了Mount Mercy，打算成为一名护士。 她知道自己喜欢帮助别人和解决问题，所以这份工作看起来非常适合她。 在她的CNA课程的临床时间里，她意识到护理并不适合她。

Instead of coming into college with a clear plan, Autumn spent a lot of her time wondering 我喜欢做什么来度过我的余生？ She tried out biology and chemistry, but quickly realized they were also the wrong fit. 最后，她决定问问她的朋友和家人，他们认为她会喜欢什么。

“My family and friends know me better than anyone,” said Autumn. “They were like, ‘ha-ha, you love to argue.’ But I also do love reading and discussing different viewpoints. They were like, ‘Why don’t you go to law school?’”

在芒特仁慈医院工作的头两年，奥特姆感觉自己像在滑行。 She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do. Then she took Dr. Richard Barrett’s Public Policy class. 在她提交了一篇论文后，他把她拉到一边，告诉她他知道她可以做得更好。

奥姆分享说，只要有一个人把她拉到一边，她就会更加投入。 She took more of Dr. Barrett’s law classes and soon felt that going to law school would be her next step.

That’s when Dr. Barrett pulled her aside once again and asked if she was sure she wanted to go to law school. 他鼓励她先在法律领域找一份工作。

秋把这个建议牢记在心，毕业后，她一直在寻找一份与法律相关的工作。 她开始在一家从事家庭法的公司担任法律助理，结果证明这份工作非常适合她。

“Family law really takes both helping and theoretical thinking and marries them together in a way that was perfect for what I was looking for,” said Autumn.

家庭法确实需要帮助和理论思考，并以一种完美的方式将它们结合在一起，这正是我一直在寻找的。

秋现在已经在两家不同的公司做了三年的法律助理。 在她现在的事务所，奥特姆与两名律师密切合作，有260个正在进行的案件。

作为一名法律助理，帮助秋巩固了她上法学院的愿望。 She’s also grateful for the hands-on experience she has been able to gain before going back to school.

“There’s always something new,” Autumn shared. “我在这个领域工作得越多，我就越意识到这是更多的信息和知识，我可以在学校和以后的工作中利用这些信息和知识。” 她参加了法学院入学考试，并计划在不久的将来上法学院。

Autumn’s time at Mount Mercy gave her the opportunity to discover her true passion and to make meaningful connections along the way. Dr. Barrett, in particular, made a big impact on Autumn’s experience.

“[Dr.] Barrett played a large part in my personal growth,” Autumn shared, “as a thinker and being a decent person.”

除了她的学术成就，秋还是仁慈山社区的一员。 她曾担任学生大使，并在学生会任职。

“Those are experiences that I don’t think I could’ve gotten anywhere else,” said Autumn. 她在课堂内外的参与使她与同学建立了牢固的关系。

“I found my people here,” said Autumn. Autumn met her fiancé and closest friends during her time at Mount Mercy.

秋鼓励学生采取更全面的方法来决定他们的职业。 实践经验表明，护理并不适合秋，而实践经验表明，法律才是她的激情所在。

She encourages students who are considering law school to follow Dr. Barrett’s advice and get firsthand experience with law. Whether that’s through shadowing, talking with attorneys, or working as a 法律助理. Overall, she encourages everyone to make the choice that’s right for them.

“Don’t go to law school because you think you have to,” Autumn advises. “Go because you want to. Go when it’s the right time for you.”