Arizona State University Alum combines Law, Spanish

Katherine Nelson is an alumni of Arizona State University's School of International Letters and Cultures. Now she is studying law at ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at ASU.

 

Here, she answers some questions about her time at the School of International Letters and Cultures (SILC), her reason for studying a langauge, and how her degree from SILC and law go hand in hand. 

Question: You mentioned that you were now studying law. Are you studying law here at ASU? What specifically drew you to study law?

Answer: I am studying law at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. I came to law school because I wanted to be an advocate and make a positive impact in my community.

Q: Has your degree in Spanish helped you in any way when it comes to law?

A: Absolutely. The skills I developed while studying Spanish also helped prepare me for law school. Learning a foreign language made me a more critical thinker, and reading Spanish literature made it easier for me to understand legal opinions from the 1800’s. All of the practice I had in class also made me a more confident public speaker. For example, I had to give presentations in several of my classes in a foreign language — this made the oral argument I had to do second semester of 1L seem easy in comparison.

Q: What are your goals for the future? Do you plan on continuing to merge law and Spanish together in your professional career?

A: I am planning to be a public defender after I pass the bar. My knowledge of Spanish will help me connect with clients because I will not need an interpreter to communicate with them.

Read full interview here