Sehrangez Blackburn, University of Richmond Law School

Blackburn studied law through a Tajik University and graduated with a ''jurist'' degree, while simultaneously working as a public affairs assistant and freelance translator at the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe. While on a translating assignment related to the dissembling of landmines in Eastern Tajikistan, Blackburn met R. Taft Blackburn, a lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army. The two married in 2005 and now have a four year old daughter together. Following their marriage, the couple moved to the United States, where Blackburn obtained her undergraduate degree in psychology from George Washington University.

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Blackburn worked in the Romanian capital of Bucharest as a consular associate with the American Embassy during her husband's three-year military assignment in Romania. Upon the end of her husband's tour, Blackburn decided to investigate law school options within the vicinity of Northern Virginia, where her husband would be working. Despite the two hour distance between the University of Richmond School of Law and her husband's work location in Northern Virginia, Blackburn decided that Richmond was the best choice for her. Blackburn was initially impressed with the personal attention that the law school devoted to each applicant. She notes that during the time that she was applying to law schools, she was also in the process of an international move. The fact that the University of Richmond School of Law was so helpful in providing information and answering questions made all the difference in the world to Blackburn. The first year law student admits that the distance is difficult because she only sees her husband on weekends and must rely on her mother to help care for her daughter. However, she does not regret her choice in schools. ''What really amazes me about this school is how much they care about each individual,'' she said in reference to the law school. She goes on to point out that the University of Richmond School of Law is not a typical law school in that it provides individualized attention and is a very nurturing environment for students.

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In the future, Blackburn plans to explore areas of immigration law and national security. She is confident that her international work experience with the U.S. Embassy will serve to give her a deeper understanding of the law. She is also contemplating traveling to Cambridge, England this coming summer, to study law as a part of a Richmond School of Law program.

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