Thoughts on Home

Personal Thoughts / Law School Essay

Every time I visit my parents in western Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving or for Christmas, I end up having the same recurring thoughts in my head, culminating in the same itchy feeling: I’ve got to get out of here by the end of the week. 

I think there’s a lot of built up frustrations that end up contributing to my feelings. A little bit from how I can’t stand the politics of their neighbors, some from how the roads can possibly be built so badly, and a chunk from how my friends can even consider working for seven dollars and twenty-five cents. It became so bad I used to rant at the dinner table constantly, sounding like all my old uncles and aunts, which made me think that I really just couldn’t stand my hometown. 

To be fair, I really couldn’t blame myself; A lot of my memories were rough. How I had to grind community college, and how much I struggled in high school. Evenings where I washed dishes for eight dollars an hour at Lucci’s, the local Italian restaurant. Hours of getting stuck in traffic because PennDot hadn’t reopened the main road yet, staring at the Trump signs flanking the stretch for miles and miles.

But I also had a lot of good ones too. Summer days of playing tennis or volleyball with my friends. Going camping and having restless nights listening to frogs and the crack of the fire. Playing video games and cards in my basement, surrounded by the people that made myself, me. I realized I don’t hate my hometown, I just want to see it grow. I want my friends to be happy, and I want there to be a better system. 

I know this is long-winded, but I want to prove why I think my viewpoint and background would help contribute to this community, and being a lawyer in general. Because of my experiences, I have this overwhelming feeling of compassion for others, an all-consuming need to help those in my life. I was surrounded by those always trying their best and struggling in order to do the right thing, and it forever imprinted on me. It made me more thoughtful and caring, and I would reflect those values in my studies and work. Someday, It will make me a better lawyer too.