Luis Segura: 2L and Adrenaline Junkie with Colombian Roots
by Mahsa Khalilifar
Luis Segura hopes to become a litigator and help others, including his family and his community.
"I was going to be a fighter pilot. Then I decided to put my future in front of my drive for adrenaline and opted out," Segura says.
Segura's time in the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School was an interesting period of his life that led him to where he is today. He entered the program in 2003 while still completing his undergraduate studies. He later realized that it was not something he wanted and decided to follow another path: that of the law.
"[I] sacrificed my perfect pilot vision for reading hours of casebooks and messing up my sight," 24-year-old Segura jokes. "I mostly did it to test myself. I wanted to put myself through the challenge knowing I had no commitment. I wanted to find myself. I had no clue I wanted law school until senior year."
Segura, who was born in Bogota, Colombia, but raised in Suffolk County, Long Island, graduated from the State University of New York in Farmingdale, Long Island. He earned his associate's degree in criminal justice and then a Bachelor of Science in Security Systems.
At one point the self-professed adrenaline junkie was even contemplating becoming an NYPD officer or even a forensic psychologist in the behavioral science unit of the FBI.
"Because I still thrive on adrenaline and competition, I decided I could only do law as a litigator," he says. "To find out if law was for me, I interned with the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office on Long Island. There, I worked closely with prosecutors and crime victim advocates. I learned to appreciate the importance of an attorney's role as advocate."
Now attending the University at Buffalo Law School, Segura is happy with where he chose to continue his academic career.
"I decided to attend the University at Buffalo Law School mainly because it had a good reputation in New York and because they offered me a full tuition scholarship. Considering the cost of law school these days, I could not pass that up," he says. "It is much more collegial than the nightmare stories you hear about other law schools. It is truly one of the best-kept secrets as far as law schools. [I] wouldn't change my decision for the world."
Segura is in his second year and has already interned at a public interest firm in Rochester, New York; he has also secured a job for the summer with a private firm in New York City. He hopes to work for the New York City firm once he graduates.
"When I came to law school, I knew I wanted to be a trial lawyer. Originally I was focused on becoming a prosecutor. Later I realized it was mostly the competitiveness of litigation and the adrenaline I get from trial work that I liked most," he explains. "I noticed that I was interested in many areas of the law and not just criminal law. I also realized that I could make a much better living by working on the private side."
This active law student is involved in many organizations at his school, serving in roles ranging from vice president of the Latin American Law Students Association to evaluation judge for the University at Buffalo's moot court program, among others.
Q. What do you do for fun?
A. Snowboard and play tennis. I play intramural sports with my law school buddies. Play the few songs I know and those I randomly make up on my guitar. I also love going to comedy clubs (in NYC) and laughing my ass off.
Q. What CD is in your CD player right now, or what was the last song you heard?
A. Sublime.
Q. What is the last magazine you read?
A. Wow...I haven't read a magazine in a while. Probably some news weekly or something.
Q. What is your favorite TV show?
A.Seinfeld and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Q. Who is your role model?
A. My father — the greatest man I know.
Q. What is something most people don't know about you?
A. I was days away from joining the military after high school because I was impatient and wanted to do something instead of read about it. I never even wanted to go to college. And somehow I ended up going to school for this long. I would have been in a completely different place today.
Segura sees himself being successful in five years, working as a litigator, and living somewhere in the city, like Manhattan. Eventually he wants to become a judge and have a family. He says he is "trying to enjoy life as much as possible."
Segura advises students considering law education to really balance their life goals.
"Find something to keep you strong when times get hard. It can be a person or a hobby...something to keep you focused and sane during very unstable times," he says. "Keep it all in perspective and have benchmarks instead of just long-term goals. Don't lose yourself."
In his free time Segura likes to let loose by surfing and skydiving, which feed his adrenaline appetite, while his competitive cravings are satisfied by his passion for the law.
"The law is involved in every single aspect of our lives, from the food we eat to the cars we drive," he explains. "There is nothing that the law does not touch. As someone who loves to learn about everything and have options, the law seemed like a good choice for me."
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