Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - Demo - (Page 34)

exploring career options Trial Attorney Whitney M. Pellegrino Educational Opportunities Section, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice studying law to see if I could figure out exactly what kind of law I was most interested in. I went to the University of Virginia School of Law. How did you get from law school to your current position at the Department of Justice? Once I got to UVA and survived my first year of law school, I took as many constitutional law and civil rights classes as I could. I tried to take courses outside my comfort zone, such as legal history classes. When I found amazing professors, I tried to take other classes with them. Schools, Race, and Money, taught by Professor Jim Ryan, was an education law course that focused on school desegregation, school finance, and school choice. After taking that class, I realized that that was what I wanted to read about, think about, talk about, and work on every day. It would be quite a few years before I got to do that. During my summer breaks from law school, I worked for a law firm, Dickstein Shapiro LLP. Although I knew I wanted to eventually pursue a career in civil rights work, I had to find a job that would allow me to gain some experience while paying off some of my law school debt. After law school, Dickstein was a perfect fit. As a litigation associate, I assisted partners and senior attorneys in large civil litigation cases, including antitrust and employment cases. Those cases often involved millions of pages of documents and dozens of attorneys. Although I loved working at Dickstein, I always knew that my dream job would be in public service. While I was looking for jobs in the Civil Rights Division at DOJ, I realized that there was an entire section of the division that worked on education cases. I left the firm to take the position that I had been thinking about since law school. And that’s where I am now. What cases does the Educational Opportunities Section of the Department of Justice get involved with? We represent the U.S. in litigation involving discrimination in public schools. The landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education, March/April 2008 Interview by Angela Balcita Children continue to face inequalities in public schools around the country. From racially isolated classrooms to inequitably funded sports programs, public schools don’t always comply with federal laws that prohibit discrimination. Having grown up asking the adults around her why those inequalities persisted, Whitney M. Pellegrino knew that her fundamental belief in fairness and equality of opportunity would somehow lead her to her dream job. She just wasn’t sure what that job was. Here, she explains how she found a career that allows her to help ensure that school children around the country have equal educational opportunities. How and when did you decide that you wanted to become a lawyer? Before deciding to go to law school, I thought about studying to become a professor. I got my undergraduate degree from Oberlin College, where I studied constitutional law. One of the best things I did was to find a professor who would be my mentor. Professor Ron Kahn helped me identify the classes that I would enjoy the most, helped me develop my analytical and critical thinking skills, and made me work really hard. But more importantly, he wanted me to find a career path that would be challenging and rewarding. I appreciated what he did for me so much. That’s why I thought about becoming a professor—so I could return the favor to some lost college freshman! During my senior year at Oberlin, I applied for a job in the Honors Paralegal Program at the U.S. Department of Justice. There was an opening in the Antitrust Division. Lucky for me, I got the job and the program was fantastic. It was while I was working there that I decided to go to law school. There were practical benefits to that choice—such as more job opportunities—but I also wanted to continue What attorneys do Attorneys act as both advocates and advisors in our society, researching the intent of laws and judicial decisions and applying the law to the specific circumstances faced by their clients. Lawyers may specialize in a number of areas, such as corporate, immigration, tax, insurance, or patent law. Where they work You may find attorneys in law firms, legal departments of public or private corporations, law libraries, government offices, and courtrooms. Education required Law school applicants are required to have a bachelor’s degree and to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Upon graduation from law school, graduates are awarded the Juris Doctor, or J.D. In most states, law school graduates must pass the bar exam to get a license to practice law. imagine

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - Demo

Imagine Magazine - March/April 2008 Contents Letters Big Problems Big Picture In My Own Words Putting E-Waste in Its Place Big Juice Making Waves What Does "Green" Mean? Into the Woods Swimming with Whale Sharks Crash Course in Costa Rica Selected Opportunities & Resources Hooked on Logistics Off the Shelf Word Wise Middle Ground One Step Ahead Exploring Career Options Planning Ahead for College Students Review Creative Minds Imagine Sudoku Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - Demo

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