Please Share This Full-Circle Moment With Me

For the very first time EVER:

I gave a big speech.
It was before a whole section of 1Ls.
It was for “Welcome to Law School” Day.
And it was my alma mater, Boston College Law School.

Never having given a true “speech,” I was NERVOUS.

Here’s why it was so meaningful to me:

When I was a 1L, I had this Contracts professor.

I could tell she was smarter than me.
She was instantly intimidating.
And I was lost in her class.

I should have attended all her office hours.

But who wants to be a brownnoser?

And she was intimidating!

Then I got my midterm back—a 35/100.

Devastating.

While I did eventually succeed on the final, that early midterm had scarred me.

I remained intimidated, and I never again spoke with her.

Until recently.

⬇️

In June 2024, she contacted me about BC’s Philly chapter.

I felt honored and eager to help.

The timing was good, too:

I’d just published “Dear 1L,” and she agreed she’d read it if I sent to her.

But I did not expect what came next.

A few weeks later, I received a blind copy of an email.

It was to the incoming 1Ls, and it said this:

ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ, ɪ ᴜꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀʏ – ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ɪꜱ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴀᴡ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ.

ᴛʜɪꜱ ʏᴇᴀʀ, ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴀʏ – ʙᴜʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ʜᴀʟꜰ ᴏꜰ ᴅᴇᴀʀ 1ʟ, ᴀ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀꜰᴜʟ, ᴇᴀꜱʏ-ᴛᴏ-ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴄʜᴏᴄᴋ-ꜰᴜʟʟ-ᴏꜰ-ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛɪᴘꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʙʏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴏᴜʀ ᴀʟᴜᴍꜱ, ᴀᴍᴀɴᴅᴀ ᴅᴇᴀʟʏ ʜᴀᴠᴇʀꜱᴛɪᴄᴋ. [ʟɪɴᴋ ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄʜᴇᴅ].”

⬇️

My jaw dropped.

Then things got even more surreal.

When she and I next talked, she no longer had Philly’s chapter in mind.

Instead, she wanted ME to give a featured speech—to her full section of 1Ls—on the very FIRST day of law school!!!

So, I did it!

(And she said I was terrific. 🙂)

This is my thank you.

Professor Ingrid Hillinger: the best law-school professor I’ve ever known.

🙏🏻 Thank you for seeing me. 🙏🏻

💌 Amanda

#Dear1L