Every now and then in self-introductions during the beginning of the year, I hear my peers say, “I’m on the pre-law track.” It seems that being a lawyer is a popular, but difficult position. Mary Basso (Class of 2020) was one of these students.
For our chat, she rocked a short, refreshing cut on white-blonde hair as she took me through her vibrant journey from the RC to the prestigious Vanderbilt Law School.
Law was an industry Mary knew she wanted to pursue since watching Legally Blonde in high school. Since then, she’s clerked with a federal judge, and worked in international law. In the RC, she was a star student: she majored in History and French, and minored in Political Science and Women’s Studies while balancing time to study for the LSATS and maintaining good grades. For her honors thesis, she insightfully tied together all her studies: “A Perilous Pursuit Securing Power through Gender in Early Modern France”.
For Mary, the RC was a perfect opportunity to continue the advanced level French she learnt in high school. She reported “the folks who had done RC [French] were excelling through the LSA courses,” and attributed her French proficiency to Intensive French, leading to her postgraduate summer teaching English in various schools in France. She’s since translated French documents pertaining to counterterrorism work in West Africa, and enjoyed chats with local French people during her time in France.
Mary is currently studying for the Bar Exam– best of luck from the RC to her!
