As a high school student in Ashtabula, Ohio, Jessica Bumgarner was rattled by the 2016 presidential election and the broader social implications surrounding the outcome. “I kept thinking, what can I do,” she said, “other than just rant and be upset, that would matter?”

That question stayed with her as an undergrad at Case Western Reserve University, where she studied English, Creative Writing, and Japanese, a course load she acknowledged “doesn’t scream lawyer.” Unsure of her next step after graduation, Jessica applied to law school and to a program in Amakusa, Japan. After being accepted to both, she deferred her enrollment to Vanderbilt so she could teach English to students ages three to 15.

As an only child without younger cousins, she had very little experience being around children prior to her time in Japan. “I didn’t really know how to talk to kids,” she said. “Since I’ve come back [to the States], all of my summer work has been focused on kids, so it’s really good I had that experience.”

When Jessica began law school, she knew she wanted to pursue public interest work. “There was never another path for me,” she explained. “I wanted to do something that felt like I was helping people.” One of the 1L classes that proved pivotal for Jessica was Professor Terry Maroney’s Juvenile Justice elective. “That course was excellent and set up so many constitutional building blocks that ended up being relevant in Mental Health Law, Constitutional Law, Constitutional Law 2, and others,” she said. Jessica also credits that elective for her internship with the Mid-South Immigration Advocates in Nashville that summer.

Jessica worked with unaccompanied minors seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Some of the children she encountered had fled gang violence or instability in Central America and were asylum seekers trying to rebuild their lives in the United States. “I was handling more progressed cases, so they had settled into school, were learning English, had made friends, and had dreams for the future,” she explained. “I liked that we got to know them as individuals and could represent them and their stories to the best of our ability.”

Jessica continued to pursue her interest in immigration throughout law school. She spent her 2L summer working at The Urban Justice Center in New York City and later enrolled in Vanderbilt Law’s Immigration Practice Clinic, where she worked with a client from Afghanistan. Jessica has also served as a teaching assistant for Professor Maroney, mentored younger students through the Women Law Students Association, and participated in Dean Beth Cruz’s intimate Public Interest Practicum, where she worked on legislative and policy projects with The Tennessee Innocence Project.

Jessica credits Vanderbilt’s public interest community, which includes her 1L mentor, Grace Hayes, and Dean Cruz as essential to her experience. “Aside from being a great teacher and a lovely person, Dean Cruz has helped me find every job I’ve had,” Jessica said. “She is always available to chat, reassure, and advocate for students. I am so grateful for her.” Jessica is also extremely appreciative of the substantial scholarship that she received when she was accepted to Vanderbilt and subsequent public interest scholarships, which will make her transition to the working world more comfortable.

After graduation, Jessica plans to study for the bar in Florida before returning to New York City to work in immigration law, juvenile defense, or even criminal defense. “There is nothing that teaches you as fast as criminal defense work because you are working with people directly immediately,” she said.

Looking back, Jessica believes that law school taught her not only how to advocate for others, but also how to manage her emotional energy. “I cannot be focused on every single problem that exists that would upset me,” she said. “Instead, I have to invest my emotional energy in an area where I can make a difference,” she said. Her advice to future law students reflects that clarity: “March to the beat of your own drum,” she said. “Do the work that fills your heart and makes you feel like what you’re doing actually matters.”