At 50 years old, law student Curtis Vosti exemplifies that it is never too late to continue learning.
Vosti started out working in journalism, where his passion lay in reporting and history. Having graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976 with his B.A. in History, Vosti decided not to stop there; he continued his education years later. In 1983, he attended the Missouri School of Journalism and received his master's degree. Soon after, he entered the career world of daily journalism.
After 12 years of working in the journalism field, fate stepped in, and Vosti had to pave a new way for himself. A friend of his had taken to politics and had run for and eventually won the title of Mayor of Hammond, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago. Vosti, who took an interest in politics, had helped his friend with that campaign and a few subsequent ones. Following a loss in the fourth election, though, Vosti decided it was time to move on since he was now officially out of a job. When Vosti was younger, many people said he should become a lawyer, so he decided to follow their advice and do just that. In January of 2005, Vosti went back to hitting the books—this time, law books. He registered at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
"Law seemed the inevitable transition," said Vosti. "I enjoy trying to understand the law's development through history."
With his passions for journalism and history, law has been a good transition for Vosti. He emphasized that the legal field has a lot of great opportunities for graduates.
"I have been surprised by how broad the field of law is," Vosti said. "You need to experience as much of it as possible so you can get an idea of the many different areas you can practice in."
Vosti added that his opportunities have taught him a lot and that students should explore their options.
"You don't necessarily have to litigate; you don't necessarily have to write a complaint; you don't necessarily have to be stuck in the back office. But you can do those and a whole lot more...I'm amazed at the possibilities" he said.
Vosti has always said that student associations can prove to be beneficial. He has been in numerous organizations, including working for the school's newspaper, The Decisive Utterance, and other student-run groups.
Vosti was one of the students who represented his law school at the ABA's Negotiation Competition in Miami some months ago. His team placed second, and they were invited to compete as the U.S. representatives at the International Negotiation Competition in Singapore in July. At the event, the team placed sixth in the world.
"You learn more from [student] associations than you will from what you have to study in class. The lessons are more practical and will impact you longer than the book learning, though not to minimize the importance of reading the law," he explained. "You will probably meet a lifelong friend through the associations outside the classrooms, and they are a great source of and resource for networking, which is probably three-quarters of the battle after graduation."
Vosti knows that experience comes with age, but he also enjoys learning from his fellow classmates, young or old.
"Being an older student is a blessing," he said. "My classmates are a source of much delight, enthusiasm, support, and amusement. I am definitely not hip in most areas, but I hold my own, and that is a source of genuine happiness."
Q.
What do you do for fun?
A.
Take walks with any and all of my six grandchildren: Courtney, 11, Kyle, seven, Cassie, six, Jacob, six, Hunter, four, and Crystal, four.
Q.
What CD is in your CD player right now?
A.
Soul Spectacular: The Classic Hits of Soul, Disc 1, Rhino Records.
Q.
What is the last magazine you read?
A.
Esquire.
Q.
What is your favorite TV show?
A.
When they are winning, White Sox baseball.
Q.
Who is your role model?
A.
My dad, mom, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thomas Jefferson. My dad because he was always fair. My mom because she believed in pursuing dreams. MLK because he spoke in peals of thunder yet taught nonviolence. And Thomas Jefferson because he was a Renaissance man.
Q.
What is something most people don't know about you?
A.
I've played Jeopardy forever, since 1967 it seems
In the future, Vosti plans on working in the private sector. Ideally, he said, his "dream" career would be getting a "decent buck from [doing] good work in the First Amendment area—speech, religion, and press." This summer, Vosti is interning with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's fair housing office in Chicago. As for the next few months, Vosti is focusing on finishing law school. He is set to graduate in January 2008.
Vosti encourages people to branch out of the classroom and get various kinds of experience. Although he is older now, Vosti indicated that his words of wisdom have yet to be discovered.
"I'm too young to stop learning," Vosti said.
On The Net
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign www.uiuc.edu
LawCrossing is very nicely managed. I never faced any problems with it. It's a smooth ride! Lawrence
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