LLB Law, 2017
“My advice to other students would be to take the opportunities that come your way – don’t be afraid to push on doors”
Zoë graduated with a Law degree from Oxford Brookes in 2017. She discovered her passion for travel and trying new things on her semester abroad, and is now pursuing a year-long legal internship with a Christian mission organisation in America.
I have always loved America and part of the reason I chose to come to Oxford Brookes University was because it had a study abroad program with partnering Universities around the world. I studied hard in my first year and got the requisite grades to study for a semester at Sacramento State University.
Whilst I was abroad I looked for opportunities to return to the USA for work for after my graduation. I joined the Sacstate rowing team and also joined a Christian sports group called Athletes In Action (AIA). I sent them my CV after speaking to some of the leaders of the group. It turned out that AIA was part of a larger Christian organisation called Cru, and my CV was forwarded onto Cru when they noticed I was studying Law. Following some interviews in London, they offered me the role of legal intern for their in-house law firm at Cru Headquarters in Orlando, Florida.
My internship is for one year and is self-funded. I raised the money through a combination of donations and sponsored challenges – for example I climbed Snowdon four times in three days!
No one day for me is quite the same – I am always discovering new aspects of the law and applying it to a range of projects. I usually check in with the other attorneys and paralegals at the start of the day and then support them on looking over contracts, attending meetings and taking conference calls with clients. Recently I have done work on intellectual property and contract and licence agreements for the films and audio work that Cru creates.
The shift from a student to working to adult, taking on a new job role and moving to different continents has not always been easy. There has been a lot of transition, however, I like challenges and I am enjoying the experience of working in a law firm in another country. My advice to other students would be to take the opportunities that come your way – don’t be afraid to push on doors, you never know what possibilities are out there!