If you’ve ever watched the television series, Parks and Recreation, then you’re pretty familiar with the character of Leslie Knope. She’s passionate about her work, manages a director’s position in government, exemplifies femininity, hopes to someday be president, and hangs a picture of Hillary Clinton in her office to always remind her of her role model. Fellow collegiette, Hayley Boyd, just might be UC San Diego’s version of Leslie Knope. Hayley exhibits much of the same qualities as Miss Knope, and she’s working hard to make sure that she meets every goal she sets. While she’s not busy planning her days in the Oval Office, Hayley is employed with UC San Diego’s Catering Services, is a member of the UC San Diego Mock Trial team, and is also a member of the Lambda Iota chapter of the Alpha Omicron Pi fraternity on campus. She is currently studying as a Political Science major, and while she is only in her second year at UC San Diego, she is already at junior status. Hayley is filled with ambition, and there’s no stopping her from reaching her White House dreams!
If you could plan out the perfect timeline of your career, how would it go?
My goal is to graduate by June of 2015 and go to law school August of 2015; that’s usually a three-year program. When I graduate from law school, I hope to go into the military JAG Corps, which means being a military lawyer, and I’d like to do that for ten to fifteen years and then go to the public sector. Then, I plan to work my way up through government and then hopefully be in the Senate or the Presidency at some point!
How is Mock Trial preparing you for life after UCSD?
Well, because I do want to be a Trial Attorney, I’m getting a lot of experience with things like rules of evidence, which are basically the rules of objections that you always hear (and they’re a lot more complicated than they sound!). So, I get to do that, and it’s also practicing looking at facts and figuring out how to use them to prove your point. I’m also learning to think logically and explain a lot of the complicated parts of the legal system, like Burdens of Proof and the roles everyone plays in a trial.
What do you take away from your work experience?
It’s a fun job, but it’s not a career for me. There are people there who are career workers, and I have enjoyed getting to meet a lot of different people and being a part of the campus community a little bit more. Meeting new people through my job has been very nice.
How do you balance school, work, and extracurriculars?
I don’t know if I actually balance anything! It’s a lot of just trying to do what I can when I can do it. For example, breaks in between class – I do some homework. Sometimes during my break at work, I’ll read a book for class or practice my directs for Mock Trial. I’m just trying to fit everything in!
What advice would you give to other collegiettes with a busy schedule?
Coffee! Coffee’s the best, haha! The important thing is to stay organized. Try to not forget that you need to get certain things done and then figure out what works best for you – whether it’s a getting a little bit done each day or over a long period of time, doing things in blocks. Especially for school, if you’re the type of person who needs to write a rough draft of an essay and then a few days later review it, then you have to start earlier! But I’m more of a person who likes to do everything all at once in a three or four hour block. That’s how I arrange my schedule and I think people need to figure out what’s best for them and just stay focused.
Who is your role model, and how have they helped shape your life?
I really admire a lot of the women in our government right now- Hillary Clinton definitely. Although I wouldn’t have voted for her in 2008, I think as a woman she’s done everything. She’s a wife, she’s a mother, she’s a hugely successful politician. I think that shows that women can be feminine and that women can participate in a very male-dominated career and succeed. She has always been the example that I try to be. Not necessarily her in particular, but what she’s done with her life. I don’t think that you have to sacrifice any part to be a woman and have a career and have a family.