Her Story
About Melanie
I'm a sophomore at Illinois State University, where I'm majoring in criminal justice with a minor in philosophy. As a first-generation college student, I balance my academic responsibilities with extensive community involvement. I serve as treasurer of our university's ACLU chapter, where I host events that bring ISU students together to discuss political consciousness in nonpartisan settings, because I believe all types of opinions are needed to see where we need work as a nation. I'm currently presenting my undergraduate research project on immigration awareness tonight, which has been an incredible journey. Throughout this project, I had the opportunity to interview professors, students, and nonprofit organizations, and each conversation added a whole new layer to my understanding. I met with people on both sides of the issue, pro-immigration and anti-immigration, because I think it's important to have those conversations to provide more understanding and better the field in general. Beyond my formal roles, I stay connected to political groups and regularly communicate with city council. In my free time, I'm a huge music nerd who collects physical media like vinyl records, CDs, and I have my own iPod. I also love to read and write papers on sociology-focused problems, connecting law and philosophy to understand what drives people to commit certain crimes and how we got to our current political climate. My goal is to go straight to law school after undergrad, specifically aiming for DePaul Law in downtown Chicago, where I want to focus on civil law or immigration law. I've known since third grade that I wanted to be a lawyer. I still have the drawing from that project where I spelled lawyer wrong, but the dream was there. I've always stood up for people who were being misjudged, and I believe that helping people when they're in their most vulnerable state is very important, which is why law spoke to me the most.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Melanie
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I attribute my success to my family. I did face a lot of experiences that have knocked me down and pushed me towards passing, you know. But after every setback, I found a way to get back up, and it's mainly because my family has always been by my side, and they've been the strongest source of motivation. They've supported me through everything, and having that kind of support system has been wonderful and essential to everything I've accomplished.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is persistence and resilience, honestly. In today's climate, women are often treated as minorities, despite them making up more than half of the world's population. Staying committed and persisting towards our goals is so important. We have to push back against this negativity, and we have to continue striving for more. We just have to continue to upbring this resilience, and I think it's gonna get you far in just any career. I think it's very important to persist and have that resilience.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Some advice I would give would be to encourage change, honestly, is to put yourself out there even if it feels uncomfortable or you feel vulnerable. You have to take up space with confidence, because when one woman does, the rest will follow. And I think that if you start going after more, and you don't shrink yourself into spaces that weren't built with you in mind, such as the law field because it's very male-dominated, that's where growth happens. You just have to walk into rooms that intimidate you, and that's where the growth really happens.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Right now, the biggest opportunity is getting to present my project for tonight. But I feel like the main, the biggest opportunity, aside from presenting, is being able to actually connect with ISU students, even in vulnerable topics like immigration. Because I did interview a lot of students, so I did speak to a lot of students who were pro-immigration, a lot of students who were anti-immigration, and I think it's important to have those conversations, because it just provides more understanding to where people stand, and in what ways we can just better the field in general, you know?
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my professional life are efficiency and authenticity. I believe that when you genuinely enjoy what you do, your true potential shows, and your work becomes both productive and meaningful. In my personal life, on the other hand, I value happiness and integrity a lot. A lot of my work I go through is political and activist, and I feel like they both connect both of the areas in my life, and they align and allow me to stay true to who I truly am. I think it's important to have strong values to continue working towards becoming your true self, and to continue contributing positively to the people and communities around you.
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