I was one of the first graduates of what is now the Mount Royal University Bachelor of Arts program. My time there was a springboard to completing a Master of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws, securing an articling position with the prestigious firm of Greenspan Partners LLP, and becoming a criminal defence lawyer.
Ten years after graduating I continue to be indebted to my professors and classmates from Mount Royal. I came there young and without much education or life experience but, like many students, I found an abundance of both on campus. Academically I learned the analytical reading, research and writing, and teamwork skills necessary to succeed in graduate school. I learned how to organize and present ideas orally on my own or with others. All those skills proved central in law school and are foundational to my daily practice.
Experientially, I was involved in many student groups: a professor inspired me to found what is now the Historical Society, I competed in campus sports, and participated in student politics. Those opportunities are invaluable to a holistic education and to becoming a well-rounded lawyer and person.
To study history you question the past; to learn from history you examine the answers. Lawyers do the same with evidence, legislation, the origins of both, and how they evolve over time. Like history, law is all about perspective over time and persuading others to accept your interpretation. As a lawyer and a person, studying history prepared me for my present and future. I would do it again.