Maybe I Have Different Opinions Now: Exploring the Learning Experience of My Social Justice Major

My journey as a social justice major has not been a typical one. I am starting paper off strong with a cliché; I thought it would be better if I just got it out of the way. I came to Ouachita as a music major in hopes of joining the music industry in some capacity. While this has not necessarily changed, the social justice major and my broadening experiences have helped me to realize why I wanted to pursue law school. Through my experiences before my internship in both my volunteer time and in my classes, I learned the value of aid and, specifically, legal aid. Throughout my classes, I saw how historically that lawyers played a role in social change and how they were able to oppress, but also undo oppression using the same legal language as the oppressors. My experience at my internship, while it was not all I hoped it to be, was still a very educational opportunity. While I saw some of the stereotypes that surround personal injury law in Arkansas, I also saw a lot of good that the firm does and how much value both lawyers and clients derive from their relationship. Ultimately, those at Taylor King Law are helping others, albeit in a different way than at a nonprofit or in a governmental capacity. My duties were relegated to more administrative work, but I believe that I still gained a lot from working with both the documents and the people at the law firm. Justice is not carried out by one man with a good heart. Instead, it is about systemic change and how whole teams address an injustice that plagues our society. While TKL did this on a more select scale, I think that even personal injury law contributes to the overall theme of extending justice to those who need it