Open Doors

By: Lauren Daffenburg

 Hillsdale opens a lot of doors for its students after graduation, sometimes it feels as if it is too many doors. As I walked through the door of William & Mary Law School, I was torn between two seemingly different callings. I wanted to pursue my education further, but I also wanted to start a “real” adult life. Hillsdale College provided so many lessons into what a good human, citizen, and ultimately woman should aspire to be, and I was stuck reading about it for three more years. And, honestly, three years of law school plus, not to mention the learning curve once entering the profession, was a long time to hold off on adult life and be a student. A student not at Hillsdale. 

Knowing that I would be focused on all aspects of law school, I thought my personal growth had been put on the back burner. It was really easy to envision how my life would go with a 9-5 and a steady paycheck immediately upon graduation: I could set up my life in a new city, settle into a church community, start meeting new neighbors and friends, maybe even go on dates. No homework, no all nighters, no office hours, no student debt. I could start checking all the boxes that a single woman in her 20’s wants to check. And, it would have been pretty easy to find a job with just my diploma, and I truly would have been happy. However, I felt extremely compelled to go to law school. I had law school in the back of my mind since high school and even after the attempts of my peers, professors and myself trying to play devil’s advocate, it was the one path I had found genuine passion and excitement. 

 I reached the halfway point in my first semester here in law school, and I can confidently say that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. And, it turns out all those boxes I wanted to check can be checked in graduate school. I have found a wonderful faith community inside my new church and within the law school. My new classmates, professors, neighbors, and friends are more than what I could have asked for. And yes, I have even set down the giant law textbooks to go on a few dates.

We have these passions in each one of us. When we leave Hillsdale to become adults, employees, spouses, parents, and even students elsewhere, it is important to find what calls you and listen to it. Other doors exist beyond the one you are standing in front of right now.  

I am living in Williamsburg, VA and am attending William & Mary Law School with a focus in international law (as of right now). Other than my classes, I work as a student aid in the Office of Career Services at the law school and am a part of a few student organizations. 

Favorite Breakfast Food:

My favorite breakfast food is waffles!