Tricia Halling
Augustana Class of 2002

Hometown: Watertown, SD
Majors: Government/International Affairs & History

Current Employer: Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Current Position: Attorney

What have you been up to since graduation from Augustana?
I moved to Washington, D.C. a few weeks after graduation in 2002 and spent the next two years working as a research assistant for Senator Daschle (SD). In the fall of 2004, I started law school at New York University. During the summer of 2005, I worked as a legal clerk at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, CA and during the summer of 2006 I split my time between a large international law firm in Los Angeles and a large law firm in D.C. During that hectic summer, I discovered that I really missed Manhattan. I graduated from NYU in May, 2007, and I started working in the Manhattan office of the law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in the fall of 2007.

How did you decide to study Government/International Affairs and History? Did you know this would be your major when you entered Augustana?
At 18, I planned to either be a history professor or to enter the Foreign Service because I'd always loved studying history and, as a high school debater, had developed an interest in international affairs. I declared history and government/international affairs as my majors when I registered for my first-year classes. Like many college students, my career goals changed over time and by senior year, I had settled on law and public policy. Luckily, the history and government majors were still a good fit, even though my plans had changed.

During my junior year, I started thinking seriously about law school and began meeting with Dr. Schotten, the pre-law adviser. He was extremely helpful in suggesting classes that would supplement my majors and be helpful in preparing for law school.

Did your education at Augustana prepare you well for law school?
Yes! All of my work in law school required me to read and think critically and to communicate clearly. All of these are skills a good liberal arts education, like Augie's, will develop.

In addition, Dr. Schotten's Constitutional Law classes provided me an accurate glimpse of what law school courses would be like. I was also grateful to the history department for all of the research projects I had to complete (if you can research and write about population growth in nineteenth century Sioux Falls, you can research and write about anything). And for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills, law school-bound or not, I recommend taking a class with Dr. Looney; her Shakespeare seminar was one of my favorite classes.

What advice would you give to a student who is considering law school?
I'd tell prospective law students to not think too much about what kind of law they want to practice. Most law students change their mind during law school. Also, the first year curriculum is essentially the same at every law school in the country. I think it's more important for potential law students to think very critically about whether they're excited about studying law generally. As one of my favorite law school professors told us, "Life is too long and too short to spend your time working at something you don't enjoy." I think Augie students who are considering law school should take at least a couple of classes in the government department as well as a business law class. And then, if the thought of spending three years doing that same sort of work is appealing, law school is probably a good idea.

If you're uncertain about law school, I strongly recommend taking a year or two after college to work. If possible, try to find a job that is in some way related to the law. And, even if you know you want to go to law school, I still think working can be a valuable experience. In the two years I worked before law school, I learned a lot about the kind of work environment in which I'm most productive as well as the kinds of work I most enjoy.

I'd also tell Augie students considering law school to talk to Dr. Schotten as soon as possible. He is very good at asking the hard questions that are necessary to determine if law school is the right choice (and, if it is, which law schools can provide the best fit for you).

So you've found having a liberal arts background to be useful?
Absolutely. A good liberal arts education teaches critical thinking and communication skills. If you can think and effectively share what you're thinking, you can do just about anything.

What is your favorite memory from Augustana?
It's funny you should ask. I was just on vacation with some law school friends and we were discussing our "top ten" lists of memorable moments and events from our lives and I was struck during the conversation by how many of those moments, for me, happened during college.

One of the memories I talked about that night was from an Alternative Spring Break trip I took during my junior year to Holden Village, WA, a Lutheran retreat village deep in the Cascade Mountains. One crisp and starry night, our group went on a snowshoe hike. We hiked through pitch dark woods, over large stretches of untouched snow and across avalanche chutes. Having spent all of my winters up until then on the prairie, the hike was unlike anything I'd done before. Afterwards, I sat around the lodge with some of my best friends, playing cards, eating fresh-baked bread, and talking for hours. Good hiking + good scenery + good friends = a great night.

Since graduation, you have lived in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and New York City. After these experiences, what do you see as the advantages of going to college in a city like Sioux Falls and a state like South Dakota?
Sioux Falls is a big enough city that there are a lot of exciting things happening in its business, government and cultural communities. At the same time, it's small enough that there are a lot of opportunities for college students to get involved in those things through internships or volunteer work. During my four years, I was able to intern for two U.S. Senators, work on a political campaign, and intern for a history museum. Because Augie is such a respected institution in Sioux Falls, all of those opportunities were very easy to set up.

Also, I love being from South Dakota! So many people on the East and West coasts have had no experience with the Midwest, let alone our little state. Talking about SoDak is always a good icebreaker.

Did you have any international travel experiences during college?
I did. I spent two weeks in Germany during the spring of my freshman year as part of my Regents' Scholarship (now called a Trustees' Scholarship). The trip was fantastic and it led one of my best friends from Augie and me to travel, on our own, to England the following summer.

Both trips are at least partially to blame for my current travel addiction. I recently celebrated finishing law school and taking the bar exam by traveling in Southeast Asia for five weeks.

What one piece of advice would you give prospective students who are interested in Augustana? Current Augie students?
I'd tell prospective students to take the time to chat with a couple Augie professors. While bigger colleges and universities may offer a wider selection of classes, Augie offers an incredibly personal and individualized education. And, I think if you talk to our professors, their willingness to help you discern your goals and achieve them will be obvious.

I'd tell current students that if they've ever had any interest in studying abroad, they should do it! My only regret from college is that I chose not to spend a semester abroad.

What types of activities were you involved with outside the classroom at Augie?
I was active in UBG (Augie's campus activities board), Young Democrats, a youth outreach team, and residence life. I also mentored an elementary school student and interned for Senators Daschle and Johnson, as well as the Courthouse Museum.

What are your interests away from work?
Reading, travel (especially road trips), photography, hiking and running. My recent trip to Southeast Asia was almost the perfect trip; it involved all of those interests except running.

Do you have any good book recommendations?
My favorite book is A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean. The writing is clean and sparse and just about perfect.

I spent a lot of time reading on the beach in Thailand and Vietnam this summer and the best beach book I read was Water for Elephants by Elizabeth Gruen. It's just a fun and engaging story.

Who (or what) was your biggest influence on campus?
The most lasting influence has been the friends I made. Augie has a knack for producing very level-headed and capable young adults. My friends from college are still the people I call for advice about tough decisions.