Enjoying my Brazilian adventure
Hello! My name is Maria Black and I am a 1L at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Starting a new school may seem daunting, but I am here to give you a sneak peak into what my first year looks like to show you that law school is do-able (and dare I say fun). I will be sharing my experiences both in the classroom and out. So, buckle up as we experience the highs and lows of 1L year together!
My roots:
I was born in a small town in Iowa. When I was in 4th grade, my family of four moved to Argentina where we lived until we moved back to Iowa. (Couldn’t stay away from that Iowa corn.) Now that my brother Carlos and I are older, my family has spread across the globe: Carlos is studying at Iowa State University and my parents John and Patricia are teaching in Dubai, UAE. Together we love traveling the world and experiencing as many new things as we can as a family.
Graduation!!!
In undergrad…:
I went to college at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and majored in International Relations and Spanish. Outside of school, I began practicing yoga and fell in love with it! My days usually consisted of a morning yoga sculpt session, afternoon class and evenings of homework and scoping out St. Paul’s cool restaurant scene. That being said, some of my favorite college memories are from studying abroad in Salvador, Brazil. I learned Portuguese *though I have since forgotten*and was able to do homework on the beach every day (as you can imagine, I always got so much done!)
Everything else:
In my spare time I love watching The Office and can quote almost every episode—I have yet to find another show that makes me laugh as hard as it does. I have the coolest cat in the world: she’s the best study partner I’ve ever had, hands down. When I’m not on the couch, homework in hand with The Office on in the background, I enjoy hiking and kayaking. My goal during law school (aside from graduating) is to learn how to play the guitar and hit as many Chicago brunch spots as I can.
Pre-law school trip taking on Vancouver rivers
My life motto:
I like to live by the simple: “be nice”—1) because it’s easy to remember and 2) sometimes school and life can get stressful and it is easy to get too focused on yourself. I try to remember that many of us are going through the same things, and sometimes a simple smile can turn someone’s day around. Chances are that people will remember your kindness and return the favor if you’re having a bad day.
Thank you for reading my intro! I can’t wait to share my experiences with you!
Maria Black is a 1L at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She is blogging about the journey of her first year of law school. To see all posts written by her search the Maria B. category on the right hand side.
Questions for Maria? Email law-admissions@luc.edu with the subject “Ask Maria” and she will make sure to answer them in a future post.