Just a bit of Background!
My entire life I have wanted to be a lawyer. And, not just any lawyer, but a criminal lawyer, a prosecutor. I'm sure it all started when I was a little kid and I enjoyed watching Law and Order with my more grown up siblings, from there we moved on to watching the FBI files ( they recreate murder cases and show them on the Discovery Channel). I know i'm weird, but I have always had a passion for criminal law. After my sister was killed, my decision to be a prosecuting district attorney was pretty solidified. In high school I participated in debates and I just loved the environment of "proving my case."
Can't you just see me being a lawyer? ;)
I came to BYU as an eager freshman with my love of history and a desire to be a lawyer. I jumped right into a history major working hard to accomplish my goal. My sophomore year started and history began to seem less appealing with each class. I did not want to give up my goal of being a lawyer, but I started to have my doubts about my plan. Enter Mr. Laren Helms and my world went spinning.
Before I knew it I was engaged, getting ready to leave for London, England, and Changing my Major... What?! Yes, I changed my major - surprised? I was! I took a marriage prep class with a marriage and family therapist here at BYU and it was my first introduction to some sort of psychology class. It was amazing and I found myself with this deep interest in Psychology, so I prayed about it, talked to my mom and next thing you know I was declared as a Psychology major.
Present Day
So after switching majors, I started my first load of psychology classes this fall and let me tell you, I LOVE IT! I could not be happier with the switch. My classes are so intriguing and I am constantly learning new things. Switching was not the end of my journey though, I've still had the decision to go ahead with law school looming in my mind and despite my passion for criminal law, I have found another passion that is even greater. Counseling. Weird, right? Well I have decided that I am now going to pursue a masters in a Marriage and Family therapy program and THEN go on to get my trauma counseling certification and hopefully work for an advocacy group and provide counseling for trauma patients, especially children and teens. So what does any of this have to do with my experience? I will tell you that right now :)
One of my classes this semester is a Psychology Writing class. Our main project for the class is a 15 page literature review of something related to psychology. Due to my heavy viewing of Criminal Minds, on a whim I decided to write a paper on Narcissism and Sexual Coercion. It was a risky idea, but it is really starting to pay off! While working on this paper I have gained some really interesting insight and it has further fueled my desire to helps those who have been victims of sexual coercion. I was meeting with my professor going over my paper and he presented some ideas for my paper beyond this class and said some things that really made me feel.. well pretty awesome. I won't tell you the specifics, but I will say that as I left his office I felt this amazing feeling that Heavenly Father was behind everything leading to this point. It was so comforting to know that my educational decisions have not been in vain and that my career goals are possible and I am headed in the right direction. It was such a powerful experience and I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and the small revelations that I receive everyday that help me so much in the long run. I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to know what I want to do with my life and to know I have the support to help get me there!
Now I am off to keep working my paper and enjoy my weekend! Happy weekend to all of you as well!!
read the gift of fear! its an incredible insight on feminity/ vulnerability and real life situations of coersion, etc. and such a
ReplyDeletefasciniating read! stumbled on your blog-- I think we have a few mutual BYU friends in common--good luck w/ your project. :)