Leslie Schenk

Leslie Schenk wants to become a federal prosecutor. She interned at the Larimer County District Attorney’s Office the first semester of her freshman year. She focused her communication studies elective courses on rhetoric, public speaking, and persuasion. She became a Student Associate with the Center for Public Deliberation. Through all these experiences the common thread of knowing how to relate to and communicate with vastly different people – whether judge, felon, victim, or advocate – has made all the difference in how Schenk sees her ability to succeed.

“One of the greatest crimes of all in the legal system is that of indifference. Too often we forget that we are dealing with real people’s lives – people who often come to us in the aftermath of the worst day of their life. In that moment, it isn’t enough to be the smartest – it’s whether or not you can sit with someone in their pain and move past the paralysis of suffering and into active participation. That’s what communication studies has taught me, and I know that I will be an infinitely better lawyer because of it.” – Leslie Schenk