UI Law Student Looks for Opportunities, Doesn’t Take No for an Answer
Monday, December 5 2005
Dec. 5, 2005 MOSCOW, Idaho – Earlier in her life, she lost everything. Now, set to graduate with a law degree from the University of Idaho, Susan Wilson, 28, believes that life is about opportunity, not about what’s in the past. Raised in a family of 11 in the small town of Dayton, Wash., Wilson learned early on that sometimes life throws curve balls. “Right before I started first grade, our house burned down. My family had no insurance, so we lost everything.” She didn’t wallow in pity, though. Accepting that her family was “economically challenged,” she started working at an early age for the Dayton Chronicle, the local paper. “I’m a firm believer in taking advantage of opportunities that come your way and being motivated to accomplish them,” she said. “I’m up for the challenge. I want to do something that sets myself apart.” In her initial position at the newspaper, she just did small odds and ends. “I picked up additional skills and responsibilities over the years, and by the time I graduated from high school, I was practically putting the newspaper together every week,” she said. “I like learning new things and doing things that people say I can’t do.” Wilson put herself through the local community college, and earned two degrees – an honors in associate arts and an associate legal administrative assistant – in two years. “Again, the ‘you can’t do it’ message was pushed at me. I wanted to prove everyone wrong, so to finish, I took 38 credits in the final quarter,” she said. She moved to Moscow in 1999 to obtain a baccalaureate degree in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in Spanish and business. She graduated in December 2000, the same year she started her own home-based graphic design business – Executive Image – while also working full time for a local real estate company. In 2002, Wilson married Sean Wilson, a former ASUI president. “As if I didn’t have enough to do, I decided to go to law school,” she said. In 2003, she picked up her books and added some long hours to her hectic schedule. “In addition to my studies and the work from my business, I maintained a schedule of 25 to 35 hours at Bennett & Associates,” said Wilson. “Part of what motivated me was that people told me it couldn’t be done, especially while attending law school. Honestly, law school is not as hard as it could be or as people make it out to be.” Wilson said she has three principles she lives by in life: respect other people; be responsible for your own actions; and if you choose to do something, do it to the best of your ability. “While in law school, I didn’t quite live up to the third one. A lot of stuff was happening in my life, and I was trying to divvy up my time,” she said. “I had to prioritize, and school work wasn’t at the top of my list.” She made the Dean’s List for her first semester of law school, but after that had to reconcile that she wasn’t putting in the time to get straight A’s, so she shouldn’t expect to have high grades. Still, she finishes her law degree this week after only two and a half years – a semester early – and managed to be in the top half of the class. “I admire her evident hard work, stick-to-it-ness and strength of spirit,” said UI Law Professor Monique Lillard. “I also admire her as a student in my class. She’s prepared, attentive, sure of herself, articulate and – above all – she’s open to discussion.” Lillard said that even in the classroom, Wilson “states her point of view and listens to other points of view, always with respect for the other students and for the learning process.” Don’t expect Wilson to leave the area now that she has her law degree, or even after she takes the bar exam in February. “I do things differently than others. Just because I have my law degree doesn’t mean I’m going to use it right away,” she said. “My law school experience as a whole was different than that of others. I’m married, and couldn’t just up and leave Sean and my other responsibilities for internships or externships out of town. I’ve had to do it my way.” Wilson said that while others in her class are interviewing, she’s just waiting to see what happens next in life. “I’ve always had something in front of me that had to be done, one type of schooling or another. For the first time in my life, I’m not sure what I’m going to do in three months.” She’s tossing around ideas that would combine her law degree and real-estate development, but that’s a decision for down the road. For now, she’ll take some time and enjoy not having big plans. Contact: Susan Wilson, UI law student, (208) 301-2177, wils7357@uidaho.edu; Joni Kirk, UI Communications, (208) 885-7725, joni@uidaho.edu Photo is available at www.today.uidaho.edu/PhotoList.aspx -30- JK-12/5/05-LAW
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho helps students to succeed and become leaders. Its land-grant mission furthers innovative scholarly and creative research to grow Idaho's economy and serve a statewide community. From its main campus in Moscow, Idaho, to 70 research and academic locations statewide, U-Idaho emphasizes real-world application as part of its student experience. U-Idaho combines the strength of a large university with the intimacy of small learning communities. It is home to the Vandals. For information, visit www.uidaho.edu.