Kasey Hemphill is a force of ambition by any stretch of the imagination. Her success story begins at NYU, where she completed both her B.A. (2011) and her M.A. (2012) in politics through the B.A./M.A. program between College of Arts and Science and GSAS. At first motivated by witnessing the power of voting in the Bush v. Gore presidential election of 2000, Kasey chose to study the theory and psychology of politics, topics she appreciated because they allowed her to feel engaged with history. After graduation, Kasey found herself working on the admissions team at the national headquarters of Teach for America, where she learned about the organization’s selection model and core values of teaching. Later, she implemented those values in her own classroom in Las Vegas. “I felt informed by the coursework from my B.A./M.A.,” she recalls. “Studying politics but working in the education sector helped me understand the different layers and internal dialogue of people who worked in the organization.” The job didn’t come without its challenges, though. After experiencing a particularly distressing situation with the family of one of her students whose brother was shot and killed due to gang violence, Kasey observed the issues present in under-served areas that critically affected the lives of victims of this violence. While she valued the impact of being a teacher to these students, she also began to realize the impact she could have as a legal advocate for them and their families outside of the classroom. Thus, she applied and was admitted to NYU Law School, where she currently studies.
As she looks back on her past experiences, she sees how her time in the B.A./M.A. program really prepared her to think about the role she wants to play as a professional. Recalling her Threesis experience of 2012, where she made it to the final rounds, Kasey explains, “I was initially attracted to it because I did speech and debate in high school…but doing the Threesis taught me how to present a topic that I am personally connected to, to an audience that may not be, and how to speak to their interest by speaking the language of humanity…that’s something I will keep in mind when I practice law, whether at a law firm or in courtroom litigation.” As she looks ahead toward her future goals, Kasey also hopes to mentor current students participating in the Threesis. Her best words of advice? “Anticipate questions. Dare to ask yourself questions you’d be afraid to answer. It’s so relevant—it even came up in an assignment I did today in class. Think about what you are passionate about and what you want people to focus on.”
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