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| Chelsea Schlittenhart, 3L Undergrad: University of Arizona Major: Agribusiness Economics |
A. I’m from Casa Grande, Arizona. It’s a suburban, used-to-be-a-farming town in the south-central part of the state. And, despite how it's spelled and it's Spanish origins, it's pronounced “cass-a grand.”
Q. How did you spend your summer?
A. This past summer, I was an extern for an Arizona State Court of Appeals judge. I really enjoy appellate work and writing, so it was a good fit. I did a lot of research, drafted lots of memorandum opinions, and learned a lot about Arizona’s criminal and family codes. After my 1L year, I worked for Baker Concrete, the largest concrete contractor in the country. I shadowed Baker's general counsel and was greatly impressed by how influential a lawyer can be in shaping the success of a business. That experience cemented (pun intended) my desire to work as in-house counsel.
Q. What does becoming a lawyer mean to you?
A. Becoming a lawyer means becoming a problem solver. Companies and people hire lawyers when they run into an obstacle that they can't overcome without help. I find great joy in being a helper, providing solutions, and bringing some kind of peace into otherwise chaotic situations.
Q. What do you wish you knew before you started law school?
A. “It’s all going to be okay.” I spent so much of my first few semesters worrying about just surviving that I missed out on some of the better experiences of law school. I wish I could go back and tell the 2011 version of me to calm down a little bit and just enjoy life. It all works out in the end.
Q. What surprised you most about Regent?
A. Before Regent, I’d never attended a private school or a Christian school before. I went to public elementary school, a public high school, and a state university. I didn’t anticipate the culture shock. I’m starting to get used to it, though.
Q. How is law school different from your college experience?
A. Well, my college had an athletics department… so there’s that. There’s also the heightened workload and the academic expectations, of course. But more strikingly, I’d say that law school has an entirely different sense of purpose that was largely missing from my undergraduate experience. The students and faculty at Regent Law want to be here and feel as if they’re supposed to be here. That makes for a much more fulfilling school experience.
Q. What is your favorite class so far and why?
A. Business Associations with Professor Murray, both because of the topic and the professor. He was an engaging and experienced professor who helped me see how corporate law and legal strategy can impact the success of all parts of a business.
Q. What kind of law do you hope to practice after graduation?
A. My ultimate goal is to work in-house for a mid-size or large corporation, especially an agribusiness or agricultural technology firm. Born and raised on a farm, I know the unique challenges that agricultural producers and support businesses face. I also know the potential that American Agriculture has to feed a world in a time of increasing food insecurity. I want to be a lawyer who helps the agricultural industry navigate an increasingly complex legal landscape so that it can focus on what it does best: producing safe, affordable, abundant food.
Q. How would you describe the group of your closest friends found here at Regent?
A. Unexpected and indispensable. My closest friends are an incredible group of people who are very different from me. We’re diverse in background, age, political views, and career goals, but all of those things just add to the depth of our relationships. They encourage me, challenge me, and inspire me, all at the same time. They’re people I never expected to love; now, I wouldn’t be able to survive without them! (Okay, maybe I could survive without them, but I sure wouldn’t want to.)
Q. How do you prefer to study?
A. During the week, I'm usually the most productive while I'm in my office on campus, so I do a lot of studying there. On the weekend, though, my favorite place to read is sitting in an Adirondack chair on the back porch of my house, overlooking the golf course that is my backyard. It's just as peaceful as it sounds.
Q. What is your favorite book of all time and why?
A. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. (And yes: I read it and loved it back when the only movie version of it starred Robert Redford.) I think it paints a poignant, tragic, and somehow beautiful picture of what happens when we 1.) try in vain to control our own lives, and 2.) look for meaning and purpose in things that are temporary and material rather than things that are eternal.
Q. What is your favorite Bible verse?
A. Psalm 138. The whole psalm, really, but especially the last verse: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” It reminds me that ultimately, my own purpose for my life isn’t what will prevail; rather, God’s purpose will. And that’s great news, because whereas I’m human and flawed and fallen and will inevitably mess up, God’s purpose for me is perfect and will prevail. He won’t forsake his creation. How can my response be anything other than thanksgiving for His steadfast love?
Q. If you could meet with anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why?
A. My grandfather’s father, Barney Schlittenhart. He was a man of deep faith, integrity, and an incredible work ethic—he and his wife raised 15 children on a subsistence farm in rural Wisconsin. He worked hard his entire life to build a better life for his kids, their kids, and generations beyond. I quite literally wouldn’t be here today without him. I’d love to sit down and just say thanks!
Q. If you could have lunch with any faculty member or administrator at Regent who would it be and why?
A. Does Chef Dan count? He makes a mean pizza.
Q. What kinds of extra-curricular activities are you involved with?
A. I'm the Chairman of the Moot Court Board, a job I absolutely love. I get to work with awesome people every day as we plan and host moot court competitions here on campus and prepare teams to represent Regent Law at competitions across the nation. I'm also a 3L SBA Class Representative.
Q. If you had an entire weekend available, what would you do in the Hampton Roads area?
A. Saturday, I'd get up early to watch the sunrise and spend the morning either on Chick's Beach or on the 42nd Street Oceanfront. Then, I'd cook a four-course meal consisting entirely of recipes from The Pioneer Woman's cookbooks and have friends over to eat it while watching football (or, in the alternative that it's not football season, a good movie). Sunday would be church at First Presbyterian in Norfolk, followed by a day of strolling around Ghent and admiring the great little houses and shops in that neighborhood.
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I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John:4)
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