The Alchemist

In September 2016, while my life was in the least optimal state for taking the LSAT, I started my preparations for the December exam. A friend who knew the hardships I was experiencing thought a book he had recently read, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, would put these hardships in perspective for me and sent the book as a gift.
It centers on a young man, Santiago, who discovers his life goal, or “Personal Legend,” as it is known in the book. As Santiago is about to stray from his goal, he has a reoccurring dream regarding treasure that awaits him and encounters “omens” to pursue this vision. This leads the young man on an adventure to Egypt to find his treasure. But really, this adventure sets him on a path to achieve his “Personal Legend”

I quickly sold most of my possessions, found a roommate in Miami’s difficult housing market, and I started my first week of classes. It was as The Alchemist declares, “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it” (24). It was an experience similar to Santiago’s surprise at the ease of selling his possessions to start his journey. An ease attributed to “the principle of favorability…Beginner’s luck”– a driving force at the beginning of a journey that wills success, and essentially, blesses the pilgrim with an easy start (31). However, both Santiago and I similarly discover that the luck runs

They, too, had fallen victim to the debt collection crisis of the recession. All of these ordeals were new experiences for an immigrant family trying to ‘feel our way through’ a new culture. (Our island nation was more plagued by crime than capitalism.) I witnessed their lawsuits, attended court with them, and saw the same feeling of helplessness I experienced embodied on my mother’s face. Being sued for the first time in her life was an experience far removed from her experiences in Jamaica, and her fear was not only reminiscent, but a literal representation of most immigrants’ fear and ignorance of U.S. law.
However, in seeing my parents’ struggle, I had several other emotions, mainly anger: anger at the lack of legal assistance available for people who did not know the laws of their land, naturalized or homegrown. The law was also there to protect people. It was in these moments that I realized that I never wanted anyone else to feel how my family and I felt; helpless, like no one would be on their side. I desired to defend my family and other marginalized people that may be mistreated by institutions. I had realized my “Personal