Spotlight on Charity Ramsey, 3L

Charity Ramsey, 3L

Q. Where are you from?

A. That is a loaded question. I was born in California. I grew up in Argentina mostly. In the past 10 years I have lived in Argentina, Indiana, California, Missouri, France, New York City, Uganda, and Virginia Beach. Now, you tell me where I am from.

Q. What does becoming a lawyer mean to you?

A. Becoming a lawyer to means being equipped to stand up for those who cannot do so themselves. That is what being an advocate is all about.

Q. What do you wish you knew before you started law school?

A. That it would be over so quickly.

Q. What surprised you most about Regent?

A. That there was a growing emphasis on international law and human rights. This was an area of law in which I was extremely interested, but at the time it was not emphasized in their advertising. It was a pleasant surprise.

Q. How is law school different from your college experience?

A.  A lot less free time. Also the type of extracurricular activities have changed. In undergrad I was a government/social science double major but spent all my spare time in the theatre department or just hanging out with people in the dorms. Here, if I'm not studying, working at my legal internship, or at home with my husband, I am busy working for the Regent Journal of International Law. You could say that law school is different from undergrad in that it is more narrowly focused, as it should be.

Q. What is your favorite class so far and why?

A.  Hmm...that is a tough one. Since I am a 3L a lot of the ones I may have flagged as favorites in my mind are but foggy memories soon to be revisited when I study for the bar. So, I'll stick to this semester's favorite which is a tossup between International and Comparative Human Rights and International Trafficking in Persons.

Q. What kind of law do you hope to practice after graduation?

A. Human Rights, Immigration, some sort of cross-over between the two in the areas of asylum or assistance of trafficking victims. Of course, when you’re dealing with victims assistance in either of these areas, there will also be a lot of administrative law to deal with in helping your clients apply for benefits to help them during their recovery.

Q. How would you describe the group of your closest friends found here at Regent?

A. Diverse in personalities, backgrounds, and passions.

Q. How do you prefer to study?

A. Generally I like to study alone or I like to explain things to others in a study group because it helps me practice for the exam. Hopefully it helps them too of course, but even if they think I'm helping them, it does at least as much good for me.

Q. What is your favorite book of all time and why?

A.  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I can't even really tell you why. All I know is that I have read it so many times since 5th grade that the characters are like old friends. I always wanted to be Jo. She was bold and spunky and incredibly strong and independent. At the same time though, each of the other characters had such wonderful lessons to teach, Beth's compassionate spirit and bravery in the face of death, Meg's nurturing nature and patience, Amy's little vanities that reminds me how prideful I can be at times. Anyway, it's a good read and every time I watch the movie I find myself picking up the book again.

Q. What is your favorite Bible verse?

A. John 4:34. The disciples are worried about Jesus getting enough to eat and he says to them: ''My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.'' Food is such an integral part of living. I read this verse and am challenged to make doing the will of God and accomplishing the task he has laid before me just as important and essential as the very things I need to do to keep on living.

Q. If you could meet with anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why?

A. Somewhere in my ancestry (I think on my Mother's side) there was a Native American from I believe the Sioux (I could be wrong about that) whose name was Anna Sunset. I think I would like to meet her to hear the story of how she ended up in my family tree and learn about her culture and the cross-cultural challenges she probably faced since she married into a family that is mostly of German/Irish decent as far as I know.

Q. If you could have lunch with any faculty member or administrator at Regent who would it be and why?

A. Professor Kathleen McKee. First of all because she is such a great mentor.  Secondly, because in between all the things I learn from her each day about law, justice, advocacy, non-profit work and the like we get to chat about knitting projects and the latest mischief her cat, Mr. Bond, James Bond has gotten into.

Q. If you had an entire weekend available, what would you do in the Hampton Roads area?
A. Go to the Norfolk Botanical Gardens and just meander for hours through their peaceful and beautiful variety of gardens. Also I'd run down to Sandbridge south of the pier and away from most of the people and watch the crabs digging out their holes. No, really, you should do it some time, they're hilarious!

Click HERE if you would like to be considered for a similar Q and A feature on this blog.