ALLISON MORRIS ’16, ’18
capacity for two years while researching the compatibilities of law and art history, she returned to Queens for the credit hours she needed to earn a major in art history. “I think that really set me up for success in law school because a liberal arts degree and specifically the art history degree forces you to consider a
lot of different perspectives,” said Morris, who passed the North Carolina State Bar Exam this past summer and is practicing family law at Charles R. Ullman & Associates in Raleigh. “With a client, you’re simultaneously focusing on the conversation you’re having with them in that moment, but then you’re also taking a step back and saying, ‘how does this conversation fit in with other conversations.’ ” Morris, who graduated from Campbell Law School in
WHEN STUDENTS DEVELOP GENERALIZABLE SKILLS IN ACQUIRING, ANALYZING, AND COMMUNICATING KNOWLEDGE, THEY ARE BETTER ABLE TO ADJUST IN THE WORKPLACE.
Maggie Commins, Ph.D., Shelton Professor of Political Science
2021, said her art history degree has helped her just as much as her political science degree as she embarks on her legal career. “Tere are studies that show that studying art history specifically can help people be more empathetic,” explained Morris. “It’s especially important for lawyers to be empathetic because you have to balance the literal law, which is very practical, very logical, and still walk away with the real-life issues that the person before you is facing.” For Maggie Commins, Ph.D., Shelton Professor of Political Science, one of the biggest benefits of a liberal arts degree is learning to be adept. “When students develop generalizable skills in acquiring, analyzing, and communicating knowledge,” she said, “they are better able to adjust in the workplace, whether that be companies, businesses, nonprofits or government.” Sarah Creech, M.F.A., professor of English and creative
writing concurs. “You can’t take a new hire and spend two weeks in a training session to learn how to communicate effectively or to be able to pitch ideas to different audiences,” said Creech, adding that it takes regular training in different contexts, different classes and different experiential learning opportunities to be able to do that. “We’re really focusing on helping our students understand and make visible these skills so that they can show various employers, whether that’s a bank or a nonprofit, what they can bring to that particular organization.” Arianna Shiraz is certainly glad that she explored where her skills could take her, but she’s even more grateful that Queens equipped her with the tools to carve out an unexpected career with endless possibilities. “I’m so thankful for my professors and everybody that’s helped me along the way,” she said. “Queens doesn’t end. I’ll take it with me forever.” ■
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