Coe College recently issued the following announcement.
“My grandpa's dream was to be a lawyer before moving to America, and now I’m fulfilling his dream,” Alisha Budhwani ’22 said.
The political science major is taking full advantage of her last term at Coe College. Coe’s Washington, D.C., Term is a popular off-campus study program combining two of Coe’s promises — 100% of Kohawks are guaranteed an internship, research or off-campus study program during their time at Coe. The immersive internship experience in the nation’s capital happened to be an ideal choice for Alisha to help decide between pursuing a career in corporate or criminal law. She is balancing classes with an internship at DC Witness, a nonprofit organization that collects and reports data on homicide, domestic violence and sexual assualt cases. The internship requires Alisha to attend and report on court hearings in Washington, D.C.
This is a milestone that needed to be celebrated with her grandfather.
“He’s my best friend. We talk about it all the time. My grandparents are the first people I go to about anything. They were the first people I called when I got accepted into the Washington, D.C., Term,” she said.
In true Coe fashion of making it possible, it's also a valuable step toward Alisha making it happen.
“I’m hoping to make connections in the area and figure out my career plans. I’m excited because it’s a great way to make sure this is right for me. I was also ready to be in a new city and new place. That's how you grow. I’m ready for all those bumps and bruises. It’s going to be a good learning experience to be on my own,” she said.
A courtroom isn’t entirely new for Alisha. She interned at a law firm in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, a couple summers ago. But before sitting in a Coe classroom, Alisha wasn’t interested in law.
In fact, she declared a computer science and economics major her first year until she completed an introduction to politics class as a general education requirement. She enjoyed the class so much that for the next four years Alisha signed up for every political science class available. Ultimately, this path led to a constitutional law class that convinced Alisha to pursue a career in law. Alisha made the switch and declared a major in political science and minor in philosophy with a pre-law track.
Coe classes have an average of 16 students for engaging lessons and one-on-one attention from faculty to help Kohawks explore academic and career interests.
“The constitution law class did it for me. I saw law in a whole new way, and it sparked my interest. The class was led by instructor and attorney Jase Jensen ’06, which was extra cool. I would ask him so many questions about his career and how he got into law school,” she said.
Alisha’s Washington, D.C., Term experience is proving to be the perfect transition to life after Coe. When she isn’t in the courtroom, she’s visiting law schools and preparing for the LSAT (Law School Admission Test).
“My family has been so supportive of my journey. It makes my heart so happy,” she said.
Like Alisha, 40% of Kohawks embark on journeys that enable them to explore careers through Coe’s off-campus study programs. With more than 40 locations in the U.S. and around the world to choose from, Coe students take advantage of unique internship opportunities that help them stand out among employers and graduate school applications. It’s no wonder nearly 100% of reporting Coe grads are employed, in graduate school or engaged in service opportunities within one year of graduation.
Want to experience the Coe advantage? Schedule a visit to get started at www.coe.edu/visit.
Original source can be found here.
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