When Ashley Williams earned her law degree and master’s degree from two different universities in two different states in the same week, she was in full Black Girl Magic mode.
She obtained her JD from the University of Pennsylvania on May 20 after earning her Master’s in Political Management on May 18 from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. It also didn’t offer a second degree.
In addition to working at the State Department as the Special Advisor and Director of Special Projects to the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, she started her Master’s degree program at George Washington University in 2015.
“I was incredibly excited to start a program that would help me advance my undergraduate degree, my passion for politics, and enable me to keep working.
I realized I had to develop. Williams told Because of Them We Can that her political management degree from GW was ideal.
She had the choice of participating in the program online or in-person depending on her schedule. She applied to law school shortly after beginning the program in an effort to fulfill a lifelong desire.
I also applied to law school that fall, which had been on my to-do list ever since high school. My parents are both lawyers, so I admired them and wanted to pursue a legal career.
Williams claims that going to law school wasn’t simple.
Despite two distinct admissions cycles where I received rejections from schools (once while I was working at the White House and another while I was at the State Department), I was adamant on going.
She started exactly one year after commencing her master’s program in the fall of 2016 after receiving a good letter from the University of Pennsylvania in January 2016.
“I stopped my Master’s program during my first year of college so I could devote all of my time to law. following my first year, in the summer
Up until my graduation in December 2018, I continued my Master’s degree while also practicing law, which I did while I was studying abroad in Tokyo.
Williams was in Tokyo for three months where she was focused on the Japanese Supreme Court. She completed her JD requirements five months later in May 2019.
“Many people questioned why I kept going after starting law school for my Master’s, but both engaged my intellect in various ways.
It took sacrifice and self-discipline, but I was extraordinarily lucky to be able to achieve both.
Williams, a graduate of Georgetown University, expressed her desire for her experience to serve as an example for others.
Never give up and never doubt your abilities, no matter what. I hope that by sharing my experience, I will encourage others to keep working hard and to never stop realizing their potential.
