David Cheng

With the help of a grant provided by the Honors Program, I spent five weeks of my summer abroad in Strasbourg, France. The program was designed for students interested in pursuing a career as lawyers, so I felt it would be a worthwhile experience. Strasbourg is a culturally important and a European hub for public policy, as it is home to the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Council of Europe. I was also able to spend time in Germany for a day trip, Spain for a music festival and conference, and Amsterdam/The Hague to visit the International Court of Human Rights and International Court of Justice. I also learned a great deal about the rights to freedom of expression, religion, and the law through one of the courses I took. Although I do not plan on pursuing public policy or religion in the future, this was definitely a worthwhile learning and personal growth experience.

I was expecting a lifestyle adjustment, but definitely not as drastic as I had assumed. Since I’ve been back, I’ve switched back to drinking only black coffee instead of energy drinks!
I was also not expecting to learn that much about religion and how that clashes with certain governments, but it has led to multiple conversations about family law with one of my friends, who is Muslim. I really appreciate being exposed to something so different from my field of study.

The program was designed for students who want to become lawyers. The most significant components of the courses were:

• Being able to take a mock law class taught by Professor Bybee, Vice Dean and SU Law Professor, using the Socratic method
• Meeting with judges, lawyers, SU Law school advisors, Steve Budgar, Director of Admissions and joined the College of Law, and Professor Trunfio, Professor and First Chief Assistant District Attorney for the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office
• Taking an LSAT prep module

I am incredibly excited for my anticipated future as a lawyer. This provided a tailored introduction and offered a glimpse into the process of applying to law school, taking a course while in law school, and pursuing a career after graduation.

Receiving an award from Honors helped offset the cost of the program fee and the expenses of physically traveling to France.