漫长的法律之路

Sarah 克莱门斯 always dreamed about becoming a lawyer, 33岁时, she’ll finally be realizing her dream.

This month, 克莱门斯 will graduate from the University of Idaho with her law degree. After the graduation ceremony, she’ll embark on a two-year clerkship with Chief Justice Bevan at the Idaho Supreme Court. 一旦她完成了, she hopes to focus on appellate work with the office of the attorney general for the state.

While 克莱门斯 is excited for graduation, the fulfillment of a childhood dream wasn’t easy. Life presented her with many obstacles that she was able to overcome thanks to her inner strength, support from her family and loved ones, and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from 365滚球官网法学院.

“从我还是个孩子的时候, I’ve always been very opinionated and wanted to be right, so entering this field was something that I knew suited me,”她说。. “But I had an experience 哪一个 really solidified my desire to become a lawyer.”

Years ago, 克莱门斯 was hit by a drunk driver.

“The experience left me feeling like I had no voice, and it made me realize I wanted to work as a lawyer and give a voice to others,”她说。.

克莱门斯, who grew up in Boise and graduated from Mountain View High, says she began her long path to becoming a lawyer by starting as a legal assistant for the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office and working in similar positions for 10 years, unsure if she had what it took to become a lawyer.

“I took online classes while I worked, and after I graduated with a degree in criminal justice, I took the LSAT but didn’t do very well,”她说。. “The results shook my confidence.”

Over the years, her mentors continued to encourage her to fulfill her dream.

She retook the LSATs and was accepted into Concordia University’s Boise law program, 哪一个, 她不知道, would close its doors in less than two years.

墨菲定律

Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, 根据墨菲定律, something not mentioned in any of 克莱门斯 law books. 2020 was just that year for 克莱门斯.

At the start of her second year of law school, 克莱门斯 lost her dog and things got worse within a few weeks, when she learned that her mother was diagnosed with cancer. 2020年初, COVID-19 made headlines and classes moved online; and in June, Concordia announced they were closing their Boise law school, leaving 150 students without a plan to finish their education — 克莱门斯 among them.

“Those were very emotionally charged times,” 克莱门斯 said. “6月, 我飞到了加利福尼亚, where my mom was living at the time, as she was told she didn’t have much time left. I didn’t know if I could finish law school, after two years of hard work. My mom was so proud that I was doing something that I’ve always wanted to do... It took the breath out of me.”

In what remains the largest student transfer in the Pacific Northwest, 明尼苏达大学, 哪一个 now offers all three years of law school in Boise and Moscow, offered all Concordia students a place at any of its two locations so they could finish their degree.

“I learned that I was accepted at 明尼苏达大学 the day after my mom passed away,” 克莱门斯 said. “It was very difficult to not be able to share that with her, but I also believe she knew I would land on my feet.”

克莱门斯 said 明尼苏达大学 was “phenomenal” with the transfer.

“I don’t know what I would have done without the offer and the support from the university,”她说。. “Because of 明尼苏达大学, I’m able to realize my childhood dream and offer a voice to others.”

To celebrate her accomplishments, she will walk with her peers at the 博伊西大学毕业典礼 ceremony in the Idaho Botanical Garden on May 18.

Article by Maria Ortega, 365滚球官网博伊西分校.

2021年5月出版.