Meet the Real Elle Woods
Sarah Kirkpatrick is living the life of Elle Woods…She recently graduated with honors from Gettysburg College in May and is already halfway through her first of three years at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law. (Courtesy of Lauren Brooks Designs).
Sarah Kirkpatrick is just halfway through a third of her law school career but she is already on a path to success. Her mindset is looking towards a better future for - not herself - but the future of the world and the safeguarding of her family.
Article by Katie Johnson, AKSM Mag.
VILLANOVA, PA - Sarah Kirkpatrick is living the real-life version of Elle Woods. If you don't know who that is then shame on you! After graduating in 2020 from Gettysburg College, she decided to look at graduate programs that were a closer to home, which is where she hoped to start her legal career. When she started exploring her options for law school, Villanova’s Charles Widger School of Law seemed like a perfect fit.
Sarah says that one of her biggest fears was, "that my classmates would try to rip pages out of each other’s textbook or otherwise try to undermine each other because of the grading curve." However, Sarah soon came to find that she was, "part of an incredibly supportive study group where everyone tries to help each other succeed." None of those rumors stood any truth.
Sarah states that, "It is fascinating to start law school during such an important, tumultuous time in our country and the world’s history where the global pandemic, upcoming election, and national movement to reform our criminal justice system are creating unprecedented legal issues." Sarah shares a viewpoint that makes her - and many of her fellow students - stand out. Sarah wants to become a "changemaker." She finds that she loves, "that every lecture teaches me more about how the legal system functions and I plan to use this knowledge to become a more informed citizen, changemaker, and future lawyer.
The world's current situation has forced Sarah to start her law career while balancing her daily personal life. Sarah loves "to watch Netflix, drink tea, listen to audiobooks, and hang out with my dog" in the small amount of time she has to herself.
Sarah spends the majority of her days doing work, attending classes, and writing legal papers. Studying and heavy legal textbooks are part of the essential grind for law students. That grind "is preparing [her] to be a strong analytical thinker who can articulate my ideas clearly."
Sarah is just halfway through a third of her law school career but she is already on a path to success. Her mindset is looking towards a better future for - not herself - but the future of the world and the safeguarding of her family.
Overall she wants all students to know during this time of COVID that, "Setting a clear schedule for yourself is vital to making sure that you can finish class readings in time while also making time for self-care."