First-year law student Alixa Brobbey has always loved reading and writing poetry. However, as an undergraduate English major at BYU, she didn’t spend much time doing those things. “I worked at BYU’s Research and Writing Center and did a lot of writing for school and work,” she says. “I didn’t spend a lot of my free time reading and writing for fun because I was doing so much of it for school already.” Being in law school has revived her interest in creative writing. “Reading legal cases is so different from reading poetry and books. Now when I go home, I’m more able to enjoy those things and not feel that it’s connected to my grades.”
“Home” for Alixa for the past several years has been Provo, Utah, but she was born in the Netherlands and moved to Ghana with her family when she was 16. Her choice to attend law school reflects her love of writing as well as her interests in research and interacting with people. “I love talking with people in my classes, between classes, at lunch, and just hearing their stories,” she says. Although Alixa is still investigating what type of law she would like to practice, she is drawn to international law, religious freedom, and First Amendment issues. “Being in law school I’ve met so many lawyers and students who do so many kinds of things that sound really fascinating; my list of interests gets longer. BYU Law’s International Center for Law and Religion Studies has internships and that sounds like a really interesting option for this summer,” she says.
Law school has provided many opportunities for growth, and Alixa says she has been stretched as a writer. “One of the hardest things for me has been realizing that although writing is one of my strengths, legal writing is really different from anything I’ve ever done,” she says. “I’m figuring out how to write in a legal style and learning how to write a legal exam vs a legal memo.” Although this has been a challenge, Alixa says that she feels nothing but support from the BYU Law community. “I was really nervous about starting law school, but I’ve found that everyone is really kind and willing to help each other. My classmates are smart, thoughtful, competent people. My classes are hard, but the professors are really wonderful. Every class that I sit in I think it’s my favorite, and then I go to the next class and that’s my favorite. I just love them all.”
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