“The legal profession is underappreciated. The law functions as a way to uphold and enforce a set of ideals and is fluid as society changes. There is nothing more interesting to me than this fluidity,” says Delaware student Kristen Swift, a graduate of West Chester University who has found the time to pursue a legal education despite the challenge of working full-time and being a mother to three children.
“To me, the law is the pulse of society. Helping people achieve the closest to an ideal outcome – to achieve justice – is my motivation,” Kristen declares of her desire to become a lawyer.
A social worker interested in the healthcare field, Kristen chose Widener Law’s Delaware campus for its reputation in Health Law and Corporate Law as well as the school’s convenient location, and she has found her legal education to be beneficial to her current work. “I believe that being a student here has taught me to be a better listener,” she says, continuing, “In my job with my patients I am able to take more time to see their side and am more open to looking at things from different perspectives.”
“I hope to combine my interests in business and healthcare in my legal practice,” she says of her ultimate goals.
“The entire curriculum is challenging and as a night student I find the coursework to be extremely rigorous,” Kristen says, but she adds that supportive professors and staff really help her maintain the balance. She marvels, “I am most proud that, as a mother of three children under the age of six while working full-time, I managed to be at the top of my class! I was most concerned that enrolling in school would take me away from my children but with a little planning anything can be achieved!”
Despite dealing with a family and full-time job, Kristen has managed to thrive in law school. “Every staff member I have met here at Widener has been supportive and really effective in helping me achieve my goals and promoting successful outcomes,” she says, “but in the end it is what you make it and you will get out what you put in. If you have doubts about how far you can go or about coming to law school I encourage you to come and meet the staff at Widener.”
Kristen describes the campus atmosphere as warm and friendly, and she feels a connection to her fellow classmates that goes beyond any competition, remarking, “I know I have made and will make many more lifelong friends.”
“I tell my husband a few times a week that I am home here and I know I made the right choice,” Kristen offers, concluding, “I have met so many wonderful people and love it here!”