UTA: 2 double-spaced pgs, GMU 500 words (this is about – ) Harv / stan / yale: no limit listed…this is about 2 pgs doubled spaced
When I was a child my parents dragged me with them to civil rights marches. At election time they had me passing out literature at polling places. I can’t pretend that I fully understood the issues I ‘represented’ at that young age, but I was successfully impressed with the idea that each person should play an active role in shaping the community in which he or she lives.
As a young adult, I involved myself with the community with a focus on making change. I held offices in Psi-Chi (psychology honor society), worked in college radio WUMD, participated in my own political marches, worked polls, and voted in all local and national elections (though I have missed a primary or two). I worked part and full time while I pursued both my undergraduate and graduate degrees, though those activities were out of necessity. Currently I am pursuing a career in the Civil Service, and serve on the local Condominium Association. I stay active in my community outside of politics as well; boxing, running, lifting weights, and somehow managing to maintain a social life.
I have worked these past seven and a half years in the Department of Labor trying to ‘level the playing field’ in the employment arena, but I am finding that to be a daunting task. Frequently I find myself in the position of trying to hold my own against well financed corporate attorneys, clearly playing in a league for which my academic credentials were not designed. Fighting in the realm of employment law is also a challenge because of the strange inner-workings of the Department. My co-workers frequently quoted the movie Crimson Tide: "We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it." I found this to be the case, and served a term as a Union Shop Steward to ensure some equitable treatment of our own employees.
I once hoped to improve the office in which I worked by entering the management ranks, but two years of being treated like a well-paid Clerk / Secretary has pretty much dashed those hopes. In those two annoying years, I have found that our Solicitor’s Office has treated our ‘opponents’ with much more consideration than our field offices have. Their ability to disagree with the contractors and even us, while really honing in on the issues raised in the cases has sparked this interest in studying law myself.
I want to work in the civil service arena till retirement do us part, remaining in employment / regulatory law or even serving in a political office. I realize that going to law school won’t assist my career in terms of income – not once costs of my attendance are factored in. I am already brushing the lower ranks of management, and it seems reasonable to forecast that a Senior Executive Service position will lie in my future. I look at a career in law as I see my work in the gym – improvement in myself and my ability to effect positive change.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2002-10-31 04:06 am (UTC)Harv / stan / yale: no limit listed…this is about 2 pgs doubled spaced
When I was a child my parents dragged me with them to civil rights marches. At election time they had me passing out literature at polling places. I can’t pretend that I fully understood the issues I ‘represented’ at that young age, but I was successfully impressed with the idea that each person should play an active role in shaping the community in which he or she lives.
As a young adult, I involved myself with the community with a focus on making change. I held offices in Psi-Chi (psychology honor society), worked in college radio WUMD, participated in my own political marches, worked polls, and voted in all local and national elections (though I have missed a primary or two). I worked part and full time while I pursued both my undergraduate and graduate degrees, though those activities were out of necessity. Currently I am pursuing a career in the Civil Service, and serve on the local Condominium Association. I stay active in my community outside of politics as well; boxing, running, lifting weights, and somehow managing to maintain a social life.
I have worked these past seven and a half years in the Department of Labor trying to ‘level the playing field’ in the employment arena, but I am finding that to be a daunting task. Frequently I find myself in the position of trying to hold my own against well financed corporate attorneys, clearly playing in a league for which my academic credentials were not designed. Fighting in the realm of employment law is also a challenge because of the strange inner-workings of the Department. My co-workers frequently quoted the movie Crimson Tide: "We're here to preserve democracy, not to practice it." I found this to be the case, and served a term as a Union Shop Steward to ensure some equitable treatment of our own employees.
I once hoped to improve the office in which I worked by entering the management ranks, but two years of being treated like a well-paid Clerk / Secretary has pretty much dashed those hopes. In those two annoying years, I have found that our Solicitor’s Office has treated our ‘opponents’ with much more consideration than our field offices have. Their ability to disagree with the contractors and even us, while really honing in on the issues raised in the cases has sparked this interest in studying law myself.
I want to work in the civil service arena till retirement do us part, remaining in employment / regulatory law or even serving in a political office. I realize that going to law school won’t assist my career in terms of income – not once costs of my attendance are factored in. I am already brushing the lower ranks of management, and it seems reasonable to forecast that a Senior Executive Service position will lie in my future. I look at a career in law as I see my work in the gym – improvement in myself and my ability to effect positive change.