Two weeks ago, I had the chance to chat with Isabel about her experiences since graduating from Wellesley in 2017. Isabel double majored in cognitive and linguistic sciences and East Asian studies. Below are some highlights of our conversation! 

Career Path and Foray into Law

Isabel was originally drawn to law because of its challenging and intellectually stimulating environment. Her curiosity about the field led her to complete a few legal internships during her time at Wellesley, which piqued her interest in pursuing a legal career. She decided to attend law school at Georgetown University a couple of years after graduating from Wellesley. 

Since graduating from Georgetown in 2022, Isabel has been working at Latham & Watkins as an Associate. LW is a large corporate law firm where she focuses specifically on project development and finance. During our chat, Isabel admitted that her work at LW is not the most interesting to her and isn’t quite what she imagined herself doing after law school. However, doing corporate law work in the finance industry was one of the only ways she could work as a lawyer in Asia with an American law degree. That being said, her work has grown on her and she finds herself reasonably happy with what she does now. 

Fulbright Scholar Experience

Between attending Wellesley and Georgetown, Isabel taught English in South Korea as a Fulbright Scholar. She studied abroad in Korea as an undergraduate student but realized that she wanted to return after college to deepen her connection to the country. This desire for more exposure to Korean culture prompted her to pursue the Fulbright opportunity. 

Isabel recalled her Fulbright experience as incredibly rewarding. Uprooting herself by working in a foreign country pushed her out of her comfort zone and broadened her perspective. She believes it was a formative experience that was invaluable as a young adult. Teaching was also particularly fulfilling, especially as she witnessed her students’ progress each day. Isabel spoke fondly of working with her students and their lasting impact on her. 

Work-Life Balance

Due to the demanding nature of the legal field, Isabel is perpetually online with very minimal uninterrupted time. Long hours are typical, with late nights – sometimes stretching until midnight – being a regular pattern. Even during vacations, Isabel often finds herself working for significant periods of time. For example, she recently took a one-week vacation but found herself working half of the week. Isabel noted that long hours are a widespread reality across the legal industry and are not unique to her firm. The high expectations and intense workload make it difficult to fully disconnect. 

Wellesley Impact

Isabel believes that she experienced the most personal growth at Wellesley during a very formative period of her life. Academically, Wellesley prepared her for the challenging legal industry. Wellesley courses are demanding and professors hold students to high standards. This taught her to work hard consistently (rather than just cram for final exams at the end of semesters), which served her well at law school. The intense workload at Wellesley made law school feel manageable in comparison. While many of her Georgetown classmates struggled in law school, Isabel’s strong Wellesley background allowed her to flourish. 

Beyond academics, attending Wellesley also opened Isabel up to new ways of learning and helped her become a more confident person. The liberal arts education ignited her curiosity and made her excited about exploring diverse interests and career paths. By plunging herself into a variety of new opportunities and experiences at Wellesley, Isabel grew confident in her ability to thrive in unfamiliar settings and tackle any challenges thrown her way.