About Us
Loveena Dookhony
Timothy Woods
Robbie Burda
CORPORATE LAWYER MAKES THE CASE
AMY GENTRY, CLASS OF 2003
Amy arrived at Lake Forest College with many interests but undecided about what career to pursue. She had a strong interest in music and wanted a stable, long-lasting career. So, she tapped into several resources at the College to help her figure it out. Among them was a student mentor and pre-law advisor Debra Levis, a politics professor who suggested that with a law degree she could one day combine her interests and represent musical artists.
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Rigorous academics train students for graduate studies and careers after
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She decided to double major in politics and communication with a minor in African American Studies, and she took classes in the pre-law track. In a constitutional law class, Amy learned the Socratic Method, a teaching technique usually reserved for law schools that puts students on the spot to debate questions based on readings and legal cases. While she found all her classes to be writing intensive, a communication class with the late Professor Mark White focused on persuasive writing and speaking, teaching her to structure and communicate arguments effectively.
“I was able to take classes that represented the spectrum of all my interests,” says Amy, who never had to sacrifice any of her extracurricular interests either. She participated in Mock Trial, campus theater productions, the choir, and presided over Women for Social Change, where she organized a charity ball to raise money for cancer.
After arriving at Vanderbilt University Law School, Amy felt well prepared for the course work. She had experience with the Socratic Method, and she wasn’t afraid to interact with professors, thanks to the small-college experience that she had at Lake Forest.
After earning her law degree, Amy returned to her hometown of Houston, Texas, where she now works as a corporate attorney, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, at the international law firm of Bracewell and Giuliani. Recognizing the importance of having mentors and advisors, Amy also helps local high school and college students with the application process and course selection. “I use what I learned to help others figure out what they want to do,” she says.