“Public Service” – by Adam Sherman

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When I joined the Peace Corps I had no idea it would fundamentally
change my lifeâ?Ts trajectory. Less than a year into my service I knew I
didnâ?Tt want to pursue a lucrative career in business as I had
previous planned. I wanted to continue making tangible and meaningful
differences in people’s lives once I returned home.

After three years of service in West Africa, I enrolled in the Evans
School of Public Affairs where I have developed and honed invaluable
policy analysis skills over the last two years. But during this time I
also discovered a passion for the legislative process and have come to
realize how equally critical a legal education is to my goal of
effecting change in Washington State through legislation.

In particular, I am especially interested in education policy. Both my
mother and my girlfriend are elementary school teachers and I have
witnessed first hand the powerful differences these amazing people make
in the next generation. But teachers are not always provided the tools
and resources necessary to do their jobs effectively. Just recently the
Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the Washington State
Legislature had failed to fulfill its paramount duty to adequately fund
K-12 education. When I graduate from law school, I plan to leverage my
policy and legal education to ensure that the legislature meets its
obligations and does so in a fiscally responsible manner. It’s is
critical that we invest in our state’s future by educating our state’s
children.

Mountains of evidence show that the better someone’s education is the
less they cost government in terms social services support, law
enforcement, and jails. Additionally they contribute positively to
governments. Educated individuals make more money, pay more in taxes,
and volunteer more of their time and money to charities than less
educated individuals.

As someone crafting legislation in Olympia I will work to make sure that
Washington State continues to make improvements to its education system
through appropriate legislation.

In order to do this, however, I will be incurring a substantial amount
of personal debt from student loans. I have chosen to pursue a career
that is personally fulfilling but does not offer the kind of financial
rewards that would have received had I chosen instead to pursue the MBA I
had originally intended on getting.

I believe my background, education, goals, and financial need make me a
well qualified candidate for this scholarship. I appreciate your
consideration.