English Senior Spotlight: Josephine Lee

Josephine Lee is an English major preparing for law school.

Why did you choose to be an English major?

I'm a transfer student from a community college where they suggested criminal justice and English given that I wanted to do law. When I got into UMD, I dropped criminal justice and just pursued English. English offers valuable skill sets to me, such as reading, analysis and writing that will prepare me for law school.

What skills have you gained from the English major that you’ll take beyond campus?

Communication and cultural competence. As an English major, I learned so much about different groups and intersectionality.

What’s one book you read in class that impacted your worldview?

One of my favorite books was “Her Body and Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado, which I read in a Latinx literature class. It resonated with my own life at the time.

What clubs, campus groups, or internships have you been involved in?

I joined the Kappa Lambda Xi Multicultural Sorority where I served as president, sexual assault prevention chair, social chair and fundraising chair. It was a great way to develop leadership skills and celebrate cultural belonging. I was also in the Preventing Sexual Assault internship for the Department of Fraternity and Sorority Life, where I completed a project on domestic violence and abuse in intersectional relationships and marriages.

What are your plans for this summer and beyond?

I’m going to take a gap year to study and take the LSAT, then I will be applying to law school. I really want to do family law. That’s something I’m passionate about given the internships and clubs I’ve done here at UMD.