When interviewing for summer legal jobs in Minneapolis-St. Paul, my interviewers ask me what drew me to Minnesota.  I said I just had a feeling it’s where I needed to be.  The pay is low, I may as well have been working at Target.

But I meet my prosecutor mentor, a Vietnam veteran and someone with 30+ years on the job.  He teaches me how to think and write. To this day, my writing style most resembles his.

The second case I work on involves a 70 year old grandmother who was stabbed to death 21 times by her granddaughter’s boyfriend.  I see the crime scene photos.  That weekend, I lock myself in my room and don’t come out.  On Monday, I am a changed person – something within me had died.

But the summer is beautiful.  The sun rises early and sets late.  I light a candle at the Cathedral of St. Paul every morning for the girl I loved.  I spend a lot of time at the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial, dedicated to fallen officers.  I am particularly struck by the black marble monument inscribed with the biblical verse “Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.”  I knew at that moment what I would give part of my life to.