Shellene Cook
MJ, Employment and Labor Law, Tulane Law School Class of 2023
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For as long as I can remember, going to law school was the unattainable, unreachable dream. The
dream that the 17-year-old me had when the world was full of options, and potential, where anything
was possible; but then, life happened. The dream of college snatched away in an instant because of
finances, the dream of a law degree forever gone... until...
One day, many (many) years and a lifetime of events later, I stumbled upon a random post about Tulane
University’s Master of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment Law. A Master’s program at Tulane Law
(yes, The Tulane), a hybrid solution of online learning, an in-person immersion weekend, with legal
professors who teach, empower, and awaken that long forgotten dream; a program I could (and would)
do, a program where I would embrace every class, every assignment, and meet the most wonderful
professors, colleagues, and fellow students.
I’ve loved the law for such a long time from afar, muddling through how to balance the law with real
application at work. But now, now I know how and why to balance the law; how to research options,
opinions, and other cases to support decisions and implementations. My undeterred desire for
embracing all the legal community has to offer has just begun, and I cannot wait to see what the future
holds; for now, the future is limitless.
I’m Shelley Cook, soon to be graduate of Tulane’s Master of Jurisprudence in Labor and Employment
Law.