PERSONAL ESSAY

by Korry D. Lewis

Abraham Lincoln once said, “I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.” That is a quote I live by. My mom always told me that in everything I do, to give it all I have and to not hold back. That way, if it is a success I can be honestly proud of my accomplishment, but if it fails I will still walk away knowing I gave it my best effort. Performing at the best of my abilities has helped me achieve high honors and accomplishments in academics and athletics throughout high school and college. It has also helped me to be a leader in numerous organizations and within my community. Most importantly, it gives me the confidence to move forward in my life and career, and continually pushes me to be a better person. Hence, I am pursuing a legal education to fulfill my ambitions of being an agricultural law and water rights attorney. I am confident that I will achieve this aspiration and will perform well in law school because I am extremely dedicated, self-motivated, and I have strong work ethic and leadership skills.
Growing up on my family’s working cattle ranch in southeastern Colorado, I learned the value and meaning of hard work at a young age. The life lessons I have learned and the wisdom I have gained from my rural background has instilled in me the cowgirl virtues of independence, endurance and grit. My work ethic combined with these virtues has been the cornerstone of my success personally, athletically, and academically in my collegiate career and will continue to benefit me in law school and throughout life. Nine years ago my dad passed away from leukemia and left a huge void in our family. My mom continued to get up every day and work hard in order to make debt payments so that she would not lose the ranch, and I admire her for that. Being that I am the youngest of six children and knowing that mom would not be able to help me pay for college, I stayed very dedicated to my education, sports, and community service so that I could receive scholarships. In order to cover the rest of my college expenses, I have kept many jobs; all the while actively volunteering in numerous organizations. I have gained many leadership skills from being the captain of my volleyball and basketball teams and running meetings, to representing my college at the state capitol. Amidst my busy schedule, I was determined to maintain a 4.0 GPA while in college and have achieved that thus far.
My work ethic, dedication, and leadership skills will prove to be valuable in the future, and I look forward to law school as an opportunity to develop and maintain these characteristics among many others. In my legal career, I wish to represent and defend the rights and interests of the American rural landowner and private property rights organizations. Increasingly, water rights and private property rights are becoming more important and sacred. I want to help the American rancher and farmer in their fight to keep land that has been in their families for many generations, as well as the grazing and water rights to these properties. They are the true stewards of the land, and their success is due to their proven ability to care for and sustain the land they live off of. Rural America is where my heart is and I have a true passion for the land. I feel it is my duty to give back to my community and fellow rural Americans as they have given so much to me. I hope to be able to use my legal education to help ranchers and farmers keep such a blessed way of life.
I wish to acquire my legal education at the U________of ______ because of your natural resource law curriculum and since I recognize the value of small classes. At______ I will feel at home and what better place to champion the rights of agriculturists than with a degree from a rural university. I am ready to take on the challenges that I will face during law school, and I am confident in the qualities that I bring to the table. Notably, I will bring my drive, my passion for agriculture, and my determination to be the best I can be.
Editors note: GNL shares Korry's personal essay so you, the reader, can see what a Good Neighbor looks like.