Ave Maria University |
|||||||||||
|
Latest News
AMU sophomore meets Justice Samuel Alito at D.C. conference
April 18, 2007
Ave Maria University sophomore Mary Schmidt of Laurinburg, NC recently had the opportunity to attend the Legatus Pro-Life Conference in Washington, D.C. as an AMU student ambassador.
AMU Chancellor Thomas S. Monaghan made Schmidt's experience possible when he asked Dr. Seana Sugrue, associate professor and chair of the politics department, to recommend a student who was interested in pursuing a career in law and active in pro-life activities to serve as an ambassador to the Legatus conference. Sugrue recommended Schmidt, a politics major and the founder of AMU's St. Thomas More Debate Society.
"Mary was sent as a student ambassador to give Legatus members a sense of the potential of our students at AMU," Sugrue said. "Her interest in pursuing a career in law, her impressive academic record, and the initiative she demonstrated in founding the St. Thomas More Debate Society were among the factors that led to her selection for this honor."
While in Washington, Schmidt had many opportunities to promote the unique mission of AMU as well as the accomplishments and interests of her fellow students.
"It was my purpose to convey to the Legatus conference participants the dynamic commitment of the Ave Maria University student body to the values necessary to usher the 21st century into what Pope John Paul II called a ‘springtime of Christianity,'" Schmidt said.
Schmidt's participation in the conference led to several encounters with legal and political heavyweights. In addition to the pro-life conference, Schmidt had the opportunity to attend the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, which included President George W. Bush and Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts among its attendees. During a tour of the Supreme Court, a Legatus member asked Justice Samuel Alito to give Schmidt advice on pursuing a law career.
"Judge Alito stressed that debaters make excellent law clerks because they develop critical thinking and writing skills," Schmidt said. "This was especially gratifying to me because a few other students and I have worked to found the St. Thomas More Debate Society under the guidance of Dr. Sugrue."
Schmidt's work on the debate society was a key factor in her being chosen to represent the AMU student body in Washington. Schmidt, who was an enthusiastic debater in high school, helped establish the debate society because she believes that debate allows students, particularly those interested in careers in law or politics, to develop the necessary skills of critical thinking and effective communication.
"The debate society is part of the larger package of what attracts high caliber students, like Mary, to AMU," said Sugrue, who serves as the debate society's faculty advisor. "Students like Mary love debate because it permits them to fully develop their intellectual capacities through a wholesome competition of ideas and arguments."
Schmidt hopes that her activities at AMU, both inside and outside the classroom, will be enriched by her experiences as student ambassador to the Legatus conference. She also believes that her fellow students stand to gain from her encounters.
"What I found most gratifying were my personal discussions with the business and professional leaders at the Legatus conference; they gave me practical advice on pursuing my goal to study and practice constitutional law," Schmidt said. "It is also a testimony to the viability and presence of AMU that students can have the opportunities to be in such close proximity to the president of the United States and justices of the Supreme Court."
- Joreen Belocura