“Tell me about your hobbies and interests.”

            As a kid, I had plenty of after-school activities and crafts to keep me busy and was never short of new fascinations to share with my friends and classmates. Now, when faced with the same question by first dates or prospective employers, I’ve struggled to find an answer that neatly conveys who I am and how I enjoy spending my time. With a stack of law school applications and personal essays to get through last winter, I was unsure of how to reveal my personality to admissions committees, convinced that by immersing myself in Manhattan’s workaholic world I had lost track of activities I engaged in “for me.” I had lost the sense of wonder and excitement I once had for my own preferences with pride to my fourth-grade classroom (the color pink, A Series of Unfortunate Events) and the intrigue of getting to know those around me by asking the same of them.

            But how could I proudly declare I now made time only for binge-watching television shows, cheese, and adult coloring books? I didn’t want to represent myself as the bore I had so quickly become after replacing 2 a.m. shots of lukewarm vodka for 9 a.m. practice LSAT exams. I felt that my true self was neither interesting nor glamorous enough to show law school admissions committees. Asking my friends and co-workers how they would label their hobbies, I came to cherish this process questioning others about their lives, getting to know them through the way they saw themselves. It made me realize that I have always been so intrigued by people and the ways in which they unpack and reflect on their own lives.

            When I sat down to write my application essays, my passion for talking to people had been reignited. I felt that it was natural to write about how I communicate with others, that I search for a narrative in learning how someone’s experiences fit together to make them who they are. I am always on a quest for the story, the thread stringing together all of my disparate interests as well as what connects me so deeply with those I love. My happiest memories in New York would consist of hours on the couch with friends new and old, music supplementing our endless inquiries into the absurdities of our world and the modern human experience.

            My love for storytelling persists in its many forms: tv, movies, plays, books, and more recently podcasts. Storytelling is what makes me so intrigued by each person I encounter and is the driving force behind the interrogations I present under the guise of small talk. It’s what I cherished about my summer internship at NBC years ago and what made me serious about a career in media and entertainment during that transformative time.

            In my three years post-grad working at Turner Sports, I adored my job in ad sales. I was able to ask questions and converse all day long, to listen and bridge the gaps between client and company, all while bringing sports storylines to insatiable fans. Nevertheless, I found I wanted a job that engages every part of me and my interdisciplinary interests, and working closer with our legal team opened my eyes to the numerous transactions behind the curtain that make storytelling possible.

            With my first semester at Georgetown Law behind me, I’ve realized so much of what I’ve learned in the last four months has also involved storytelling. Listening closely to unique perspectives and interpretations, finding ways for parties to come to agreements, and identifying the common ground between disparate concepts: these tools of legal analysis have been with me all along in my passion for conversation. And better yet, I’m finding ways to bring all of this knowledge back to the media industry to continue doing what I love after law school. I am so lucky to have realized I can work in an industry that brings me so much joy and  challenge, and strangely enough, this new journey through law school has been its own form of self-care.

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Priyanka: After a couple years working in sports media in New York, I started law school at Georgetown this past fall in hopes of working in sports and entertainment law upon graduation. I’ve been a lifelong TV and movie buff which led me to major in Communication at Wake Forest. Current obsessions include Amazon’s Homecoming, Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, and perfecting the chocolate chip cookie.