In October, I had the opportunity to attend The Public Leadership Education Network’s (PLEN) Women, Law, and Legal Advocacy seminar in Washington, DC. The PLEN seminar exceeded my expectations. Not only did I take away a tremendous amount of knowledge about legal careers and professional opportunities in law, but I also learned new skills such as resume writing, salary negotiating and networking etiquette. Attending the 2016 Women, Law, and Legal Advocacy seminar gave me a better understanding of potential benefits of attending law school and various career opportunities that exist in that field. Being in the room surrounded by powerful and well educated women was indeed a very empowering experience. In just a short three days, thanks to speakers who provided overview on professional experiences, I was able to narrow my personal goals for the future. In addition, their success and experiences were not only inspiring, but also motivating.
It is inspiring to see the growing impact of women in the professional world who contribute to changing the face of policy. Attending a PLEN seminar has allowed me to not only network with amazing keynote speakers, but also with the other attendees and PLEN organizers. I felt like I was able to learn something from everyone. Although we are different from each other, we have common goal: to be the best we can be the only way we know – by hard work and persistence.
I am beyond grateful to everyone involved in PLEN who took the time out of their busy schedule to speak to us. This was truly a life changing experience for me, and I encourage everyone who is thinking about attending a PLEN seminar to do it. I promise you won’t regret it.
Aleksandra Rajska attended the 2016 Women, Law, and Legal Advocacy seminar as a senior at the University of Illinois at Chicago.