Meet Kelsey Schulteis, a fourth year student at San Joaquin College of Law and a Psychology major from Fresno State. After overcoming adversity, working hard through college and becoming Miss Fresno County, she decided to make a difference in the legal system. Find out how Kelsey channels her energy to be successful in law school, why she switched from medical school to law school and how she’s coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tell us about your journey to law school.
I’m a Fresno native and a former Miss Fresno County through the Miss America Organization. I attended Fresno State and graduated debt free by working two jobs and through scholarships attained through the Miss America Organization. When the time came to choose where I went to college, I knew that I wanted to stay in Fresno, attend Fresno State, and do everything in my power to make our community better. After living overseas and on the east coast my appreciation for Fresno grew as it is a truly incredible town. Since I was little, I knew that I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer (after going through the phase of wanting to be a popstar with my own cooking show). Originally, when I started college, I wanted to become a doctor, specifically a trauma surgeon, because I loved science and math. Two years before I completed my bachelor’s degree, I decided to change course. As time went by and I started to learn the lessons of life, I realized that the career path I envisioned wouldn’t be conducive for the family and lifestyle I dreamt of. Considering I wasn’t going to be a doctor becoming a lawyer was my end goal. I decided to change my major to Psychology so that I could segue all my completed science and math courses to graduate without any delay. I figured learning about the human mind would be beneficial for my career as a lawyer. Specifically, understanding why people make the decisions that they do, what motivates them, and how different aspects of life contribute to behavior.
What type of law do you want to practice?
I am currently undecided as many of my law school courses have sparked my interest in many areas of law. The summer before law school, I interned at the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office in the misdemeanors department. When I was accepted to law school, I was 100% positive I wanted to become a prosecutor (and I haven’t ruled that out yet). There were so many powerful women at the DA’s office who became my role models including former SJCL Alumni and DA Lisa class=SpellE>Smittcamp. However, along my law school journey I have learned about so many other career opportunities. DA Smittcamp told me that generally every successful prosecutor has worked in criminal defense. I took her advice and worked in a criminal defense firm but decided that wasn’t likely going to be my career path. Obtaining a JD provides so many different opportunities and opens the door for one to find an area they are passionate about. Currently, I am very interested in agricultural law/water law and working with Central Valley farmers. I'm also interested in business law, contract law, civil law, and really enjoy litigation as well as the atmosphere of a courtroom. Because San Joaquin College of Law is the only law school in the Central Valley, students are presented with the unique opportunity to find their passion in the legal community. That is one of the many reasons SJCL is an incredible and valuable university. Additionally, the faculty at SJCL are very helpful in posting job opportunities and giving students guidance regarding internships. Over the next year I’ll be utilizing SJCL’s resources to search for opportunities that will help me find my niche, a job that I love, and an area of law that I'm passionate about.
How has your law school experience changed during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I’d say it has really helped me fine tune skills that are needed as a lawyer that can’t necessarily be taught in a classroom setting. Skills such as flexibility, accountability, being able to adapt to change, innovative problem solving, and roll with the punches. This time has brought me and my classmates even closer together as we’ve been there to support each other from afar and be outlets for each other because we understand what we are going through. As the current Vice President of our Student Bar Association (SBA) and newly elected President of next year’s SBA, I’ve tried to be a voice for student concerns and bridge the gap between the students and faculty. By means of helping get answers and solutions for any problems or questions my classmates have had during this period of change and uncertainty. My law school experience has changed, but I am choosing to focus on the positive aspects of this unprecedented experience. My motto is, it’s not about the cards that life deals you but how you play the cards you’re dealt. Some professors made the decision to include additional at home assignments as we were transitioning to online courses. Personally, those assignments allowed me to retain information better. Having to do those assignments every week were helpful because it helped gauge which topics I understood and which topics I needed to spend more time on. Normally, we would have to wait until our final exam to determine where we needed work but with those assignments, I was able to determine what topics I needed to focus on before the final. In all honesty, the transitions caused by the pandemic have been challenging. As an obnoxiously optimistic person I try to find the good in everything. I can’t wait to see my friends and SJCL family in person again but I’m extremely grateful that we have technology to keep us connected.
How important is it to have camaraderie in law school?
Camaraderie in law school is very important. It can be really intimidating going into your first year of law school because this journey is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. However, SJCL is unique, our school encourages teamwork, rather than a competitive mentality, to help each and every classmate succeed. For example, during orientation I had everyone in my Legal Methods class write down their phone numbers so that everybody would have each other's contact information just in case we had questions or needed help. There are so many group chats that we have. You create a law school family and are there for each other because we understand what everyone is going through. We’ve really established camaraderie among our classmates. This is additionally important because once we get out of law school, we’ll be working in the same small tight knit legal community and will likely need each other’s help at some point in our careers. So, it’s a great way to set the stage for collaboration now and create the environment for beneficial interactions in the future.
How has your daily routine changed since the coronavirus outbreak?
My daily routine hasn’t changed very much during this pandemic. When I started law school, I made the conscious decision to put my social life on the backburner and primarily focus on my home life and my studies. Professors and advisors tell us time and time again to find a balance in life and the importance of maintaining hobbies. So, I have gotten creative. Instead of being able to go to the gym I do more yoga at home, wear ankle weights throughout the day, and go up and down the stairs with my dogs. I’ve also recently purchased some roller skates so that I can get some fresh air and sunshine. I try to maintain a good sleep schedule no matter how hard that is with the stress of school and the stress of the unknown. As my mom’s caregiver, I also must take extra precautions to make sure that when I do go out to get basic necessities, I’m not bringing home any germs or the virus with me. Also, I've honed my inner child to keep myself entertained or when I’m feeling too stressed out. Sometimes I’ll pull out a coloring book, watch a Harry Potter marathon, or sing and dance around my house. It is important to make sure your mental health is equal to your physical health in general but particularly during this pandemic.
What are some ways you reduce the mental stress from the outbreak?
I have always been a fan of prioritizing tasks and making lists. Shelter in place has made most of us stay at home and personally when I am at home, I can see a million things that need to be done. To lower that anxiety, I figure out the three most important things that I NEED to get done in a day. I’ll put those tasks on the top of a list followed by the smaller things that I want or need to get done. Sometimes those extra things don’t get done and they flow over to the next day's list. I make sure I allot myself enough time to do those tasks. However, when I feel like I’m getting burnt out or need a break, I take it. It is ok to give yourself a break especially during these times. Whether that means turning your phone off, giving yourself a social media or technological detox, or taking a day off for self-care.
What was the school’s response to the outbreak and transition to going to school from home?
I think the school did a great job responding to the outbreak and their transition to online courses. The transition was as smooth as it could have been given the circumstances. In the early stages of the outbreak, information was changing by the hour and I saw the faculty working tirelessly to make hard decisions in such an unprecedented situation. Right before the shelter in place orders came in, I remember being in the office with Dean Pearson, Beth Pitcock, and Francisco Rosas talking about the virus and whether or not the SBA should cancel this year’s Barrister’s Ball. That was a tough but necessary decision because the health and wellness of our SJCL family is top priority. Seeing the changes from the perspective of a student and the perspective of the faculty, I think they rolled out the changes as quickly and as smoothly as they could in my opinion. Everyone has done the best they could given the extraordinary situation we’re all going through. Nothing like this has happened in most of our lifetimes. The last significant event that has substantially impacted our nation in my lifetime was 9/11. The country didn’t get shut down over that, but the same uncertainty exists. Law school teaches us to think outside the box and approach problems from the left when most people approach from the right. I think this outbreak has just put the skills we’ve been taught to the test and in the end, we’ll come out stronger than ever because of it.
How do you maintain a good work/school/life balance?
Maintaining a good work/school/life balance is not easy. Even going into my fourth year, I’m still trying to figure out how to create a good balance because it’s something we’ll all need once we become attorneys. We’ll have huge workloads, responsibilities, and other people’s lives in our hands. I believe that the more experience you have trying to balance aspects of your life, the better you will get at it. It’s not something that’s going to come naturally. You’ll have to sacrifice some things like hanging out with your friends on a Friday night because you have a paper due or a test to study for. At the end of the day, we are always reminded by professors and faculty that our mental health is the most important thing, so you must prioritize sustaining your mental health and stay physically healthy. If I start to feel burnt out, I’ll give myself a day off.
If I feel like I’m getting too stressed out, I’ll pivot and do some self-care and take part in things that make me happy. I schedule at least three days a month to do something fun or see my friends. Asking for help is very important and I know a lot of us in law school are very independent and aren’t the best at asking for help. Law school has taught me that there’s absolutely no shame in asking for help when you need it and there’s no shame in knowing how much you can handle without overfilling your plate.
What advice do you have for students for staying productive at home?
Think long term, not short term. Remember your goals and remember that you must climb the ladder and put in the hard work to get to the top of the mountain. This current situation is just a bump in the road. We must stay on top of things to the best of our ability and stay productive. We’ll get past this hard time and enjoy our accomplishments once we get back to normal. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day stress, but law school and our careers are long term and we need to keep a steady pace to get to where we want to go and be successful. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Always remember to look for the light at the end of the tunnel and find the silver lining.
What are you looking forward to doing once this quarantine is over?
Giving my friends hugs, seeing my classmates and professors again, and actually taking the opportunity to catch up with long time friends. Ever since law school started, I’d see friends or people that I was close with before law school and tell them “we should catch up sometime” and never created the opportunity. After some reflection, I realized I took those opportunities for granted and got caught up in the day to day.
So, what I’m looking forward to the most is catching up with all of those friends, going back to the gym, and all of the little blessings we take for granted. We are all looking forward to the elimination of the uncertainty lingering over our heads and returning to a semblance of normal. We are creatures of habit and external changes to our habits are really hard.
What is something you learned about going to law school that no one told you about?
When we’re in high school, people tell us time flies, enjoy the moment you're in. For example, it feels like 10 years have flashed before my eyes and now I'm getting ready to go to my high school reunion. And I wonder where the time went. Even college and law school has flashed before my eyes. Those people were right… time flies. Law school isn’t a walk in the park, it takes a lot of time and dedication. This is something you learn as you go through it, you adapt, and it gets easier. You must invest a lot of your time if you want to be successful. Someone told me that, if law school was easy everyone would be lawyers. There is a lot of truth to that. Internalizing the advice, you get and listening to what people tell you before you start law school will help you start off on the right foot. I didn’t heed people’s suggestions and advice nearly as much as I should have but once I lived through it, then I was really able understand what they were trying to tell me.
What advice do you have for people who are interested in going to law school but hesitant because of the uncertainty in today’s world?
If you think the law is something you’re passionate about, it’s been an idea that you’ve tossed around, or your life has guided you towards this journey, then do it. Even if there is something you see in the world, an injustice, something big you want to be a party of and change. Do it! It’s 100% worthwhile from my personal experience. SJCL has so many resources at the school for veterans, people with families, people who are starting a second career. SJCL is incredibly flexible and has resources for so many individual circumstances. The faculty is extremely kind and approachable and will help you find a way to move forward with your law school dreams under any circumstance. Also, your classmates will be right there by your side! Anything is possible when you set your mind and your heart to it!
Want to learn more about San Joaquin College of Law, sit in on a class or set up an appointment to discuss your law school future? Contact our Admissions Counselor, Francisco "Javier" Rosas today!