How to decide what to do with your life? One way is to think about your past experiences, influences, and the subjects that truly motivate you. Then investigate those interests further and consider how to apply them in the world around you. Here, recent Abraham Lincoln University graduate and valedictorian Gwen Fabish reflects on her interests and ambitions, the path she sees ahead, and some key takeaways from her experience at ALU.
Since graduating as valedictorian with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from ALU, Gwen Fabish has started her law degree as a student in ALU’s Juris Doctor program.
My name is Gwen Fabish. My major is Business Administration. And after school I’d like to continue on to law school, and feel out my law field and eventually, hopefully, become a judge one day.
Both of your parents have a background in higher education. Were they always supportive of you in your pursuit of knowledge? How much of an influence do you think their careers have had on your path in life?
Yes, absolutely they’ve been very supportive my whole life. Some parents tell their kids that they’re beautiful, that they’re wonderful. My parents told me that I was smart, and brilliant, and hard-working. They’ve been the biggest supporters of education.
How do you think your background in finance will come into play as you begin your career in law?
I learned that finance is not my strongest, strongest suit. So I’ll hire an accountant, but now I know the framework of a business, so that’ll help. You should know, whatever field you’re in, you should know every angle of how it works.
What areas of law interest you most?
There are so many areas especially now — that growing up I was very concerned about animal rights and the environment, but now women’s rights, human rights…
I kind of want to get into censorship because right now the Internet is fresh. It’s a little bit of the wild, wild West and I think there’s some refining that’s going to come soon in the future.
Does your interest in animal rights have a place in your ambition? Would you ever be interested in applying your law education to the animal rights movement?
I would like to defend animals and get a harsher punishment for those who abuse them.
I would like to, if I can get into women’s rights and human rights, I would like to spread to third world countries who truly need to be uplifted so that we’re all on the same field and levels of abuse in third world countries can stop. And that will also help the economy. So not only would they be saved from an intolerant environment, but their whole community will be uplifted from poverty.
What was the most formative aspect of your experience at ALU?
I would say the most formative takeaway from ALU — first of all — is discipline, because the distance learning teaches you the discipline and responsibility to take it upon yourself to truly get the work done if that’s what you want to do.
And there was a common theme in my classes that we kept touching upon: changes and adaption to changes. And the world is always changing and progressive, and any business or organism at all needs to adapt to survive. So we need to stay updated and adapt to every change and stay on top of our game.
