Unmasking the Gospel in 2021: Abigail, Legal Research Assistant

Abigail was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, but moved to Xenia, Ohio, when she was 16. A graduate of Cedarville University, she has a degree in Broadcasting, Digital Media and Journalism. Now she is attending the University of Dayton School of Law in pursuit of her J.D. degree. This summer, she is serving remotely with TWR as the Legal Research Assistant for the IPR Department.

Q: How did you hear about TWR?

I heard about TWR during undergrad through my advisor. After serving with TWR through audio production during the summer of 2019, I kept in touch with a few people within the organization and was invited to come back this summer in a new capacity!

Q: Have you always been interested in missions?

My father is a senior minister, my husband is a youth pastor, and I have many relatives who work in vocational ministry, so service and ministry run deep in the family. However, I didn’t think that I’d be interested in pursuing work in ministry or missions until I came across TWR and saw how my skill set could be utilized.

Q: What projects are you going to be involved in?

I’m under a nondisclosure agreement, so I can’t say!

Q: Are there any challenges you have or anticipate experiencing? How will you face them?

Starting law school in the middle of a pandemic was a crazy experience, so it’s comforting in a way to be back with a familiar organization this summer. However, there are always unique challenges to working from home/working remotely, and it’s always a challenge to set clear boundaries between work and the rest of my life. Doing my entire first year of law school remotely has really helped me build the skills I need to manage those boundaries well!

Q: What are you most looking forward to during your internship?

I have been enjoying, and am looking forward to continuing, working with the wonderful people in my department. Everyone is incredibly supportive and welcoming, and they made me feel like part of the team immediately. I have been given responsibility for some projects that will have a real, tangible impact on the organization, which is a satisfying change of pace from the purely academic exercises we work on at law school.

Q: What is your biggest goal for this summer?

I recently got married (May 24), so my goal for the summer is to get some real-world legal experience as well as establishing myself in my new apartment with my husband so that I can go into the next school year with renewed motivation and a clearer vision of what I’d like to do after graduation.

Q: What are your post-college plans?

I have already graduated from college, but I can say that I certainly didn’t expect to be pursuing a legal career after my wonderful time in the broadcasting program! The Lord has guided the trajectory of my life in unexpected ways, but I have found that his plan is always better and more fulfilling than anything I could come up with. So right now, I am being faithful with my graduate studies and am waiting to see what’s next.

Q: Fun fact: what’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?

My favorite snack food is popcorn. The classic buttery goodness is always tasty, but I also have a weakness for the pre-popped white cheddar popcorn. I can do some serious damage to a bag of popcorn if given the chance!