“My decision to go to law school was the culmination of five years of searching for a way to make a positive impact on the environment. While earning my MFA in Creative Writing and Environment from Iowa State University, I taught freshman composition. Although I enjoyed teaching undergraduates and wove environmental themes into the readings I assigned my students as often as possible, I felt that I could better serve the wildlife and wild spaces I love in a different capacity. As a result, when I graduated from Iowa State, I abandoned my plans to become an English teacher and instead pursued a career in environmental education. I worked as an environmental educator at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in Sandstone, Minnesota, for several rewarding years. While there, I taught K-12 students subjects ranging from tree identification to aquatic ecology to predator and prey relationships. I also cared for a range of non-releasable animal ambassadors, including a porcupine named Spike and a red-tailed hawk named Dakota. However, as hard as it was for me to part with Spike and Dakota, I decided to move on partly because I was overworked and underpaid and partly because I wanted a job that was more intellectually stimulating. I moved back to California and worked as a store manager at a nature shop called Wild Birds Unlimited while deciding what to do next. After reading several books on environmental law, I began to wonder if a legal career would allow me to marry my interest in the environmental protection and my desire for an intellectually rigorous professional life. Eventually, I decided that a legal career was worth exploring, and when the pandemic struck, I found myself with enough time on my hands to take the LSAT and begin the journey that ultimately led me to Lewis & Clark.”