Looking Back
By Sarah Valdes • December 31, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
As we wrap up 2020, and I sit down to write my final post as a Ms. JD Writer in Residence, I can’t help but laugh. You read that right: laugh. When I applied to write for Ms. JD, I set out to cross off one of my resolutions, to get outside of my comfort zone. I decided that I would focus on community and our place within certain groups. After the first quarter of the year, the world looked very different than what I expected. Group yoga classes turned into a short session where I rearranged the coffee table…
A Very Different Thanksgiving
By Sarah Valdes • November 30, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
Every Thanksgiving we’re reminded to “count our blessings.” This year that phrase just hit a little differently. Although my Thanksgiving looked nothing like it had in years past, I found myself in utter awe of how incredibly fortunate I was. For me, Thanksgiving begins the season of slowing down. Although the hustle and bustle of selecting gifts and making holiday plans kicks off, it’s the start of a season when most people can take some time off of work and relax. We trade in rush hour traffic for holiday movies and cookies. So while I found myself pouring over a…
Finding Your People
By Sarah Valdes • November 30, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
One of the pins that inevitably pops on Pinterest is “You will be too much for some people; those aren’t your people.” As I reflected on what to write about for this month’s post, I thought about how generally draining the past few weeks have been. It seems like just when you don’t think 2020 can bring any more surprises, the hits just keep coming. And the small escapes of an hour-long stroll through the Target dollar section come at the price of ensuring your safety and the safety of others. I originally set out to write this blog to…
The Case for Reading for Lawyers Reading for Leisure
By Sarah Valdes • October 03, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Issues
As a child I was your stereotypical bookworm. Buried behind large broad rimmed glasses, I could spend hours sprawled on the living room couch. Some of my fondest childhood memories include trips to the library and going up the long spiral staircase to the “grown-up” section while my father browsed the shelves. Seeing the long stacks of books felt both like home, and like endless rows of adventure to be explored. I learned how to navigate the card catalogue and was expected to retrieve whatever reference books I needed for a school project on my own. I can still probably…
Connecting with Your Community Through Service
By Sarah Valdes • September 05, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
Can you truly be selfless when you’re doing something good for others? Is there such a thing as a selfless good deed? For those of you of who were philosophy majors, maybe you spent entire semesters debating the morality of your actions. For me, I attribute most of my philosophical musings on whether you can truly be completely selfless to some couch conversations while watching “The Good Place.” Even though I probably didn’t start thinking about how a good deed made me feel until Chidi started teaching us all a little bit more about philosophy, I have always thought about…
Mid Year Check In- Time to Connect with Yourself!
By Sarah Valdes • July 31, 2020 •Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
We are more than half way done with 2020. For most of us, this year has already been more eventful than we would have liked. For all of us, the year has brought a series of changes. When I applied to be Ms. JD Writer in Residence and proposed a topic focusing on the benefits of having a sense of community, I could not have dreamed about the reality we are living in today. I imagined writing articles about networking or finding a community of women who share your ethnic background or hobbies. But 2020 forced us all to rethink…
The Benefits of Voluntary Bar Associations: A Q and A with Nicole Del Rio
By Sarah Valdes • July 10, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life
We hear about the importance of being involved in different organizations all the time. While this column focuses on connection, I want to remind all the young lady lawyers out there that yes, it is ok to take a step back if you have to rethink how you spend your time. You will not gain anything out of participation in a voluntary bar association if you are stretched too thin. Joining a voluntary bar association can be incredibly rewarding for lady lawyers. To offer a young lady lawyer’s perspective, I’ve asked some questions from Nicole Del Rio, Staff Attorney at…
Dear Bar Taker: You Are Not Alone
By Sarah Valdes • May 30, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
There is no denying that those of you taking the bar exam this summer or fall are under an incredible amount of stress. You are tackling a significant milestone in your legal career, and you are doing it against the backdrop of truly unprecedented times. This is tough. But so are you. Below are some of my tips on keeping yourself connected and sane during bar prep. Everything I suggest may not work for everyone, but I do think they are worth considering. Celebrate. Before you start putting oversized post-its covered in bar prep notes all over your bedroom wall…
Keeping it Social! Using Social Media to Stay Connected: A Q and A with Tiffany Blackmon
By Sarah Valdes • April 29, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
For most of us, social media has already permeated many aspects of our lives, from identifying meals that are Gram-worthy to trying to figure out what new Tik Tok dance everyone is talking about. Others are starting to discover new ways to stay connected while we physically distance. I admit that I have been a casual social media user who often finds herself identifying missed opportunities for development. For this post, I chose to connect with someone in my network who has identified how to best leverage social media platforms for her. This month, we will hear from Tiffany Blackmon,…