Graduates of IEW go on to pursue a wide range of careers. Some become journalists. Others work in academia. And others move into ministry. There is always demand for people who can effectively communicate, so truly the sky is the limit as to what IEW students can accomplish. In this blog post we feature another graduate of IEW, Brenna Fisher, who earned her J.D. and now clerks for a federal judge.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My parents homeschooled my five siblings and me from 2005 until we each graduated high school. While some of my siblings were homeschooled their whole lives, I was homeschooled from fourth grade until senior year in high school. I used IEW from fifth grade through ninth grade. After ninth grade I switched to AP literature and language courses. I couldn’t tell you exactly which IEW programs I used, but my mom would probably know best!
What do you do now?
I graduated at the top of my class from law school in 2021 and now work as a clerk for a federal judge in Wyoming. It’s a job that has a heavy emphasis on strong writing, and I definitely got my foundation for that writing in IEW.
How did IEW’s Structure and Style writing approach help you in your career choice?
My favorite part of IEW was that it forced me to get comfortable writing things from scratch at a young age. It can be daunting to look at a blank page when you know it ultimately needs to be two, ten, or even twenty pages long. IEW made that much less intimidating and guided me step by step so that I graduated from five-hundred-word essays to full research papers. Because of this step-by-step process, I eased into longer, more complex writing assignments. Now I am not intimidated by a blank page, which is crucial because writing is a large part of my job. Lawyers need to be comfortable writing twenty to fifty pages (at least) per week, but writing comes pretty naturally to me, and I credit my IEW foundation for that.
What type of writing do you enjoy the most?
I still really enjoy persuasive writing (no surprise as it’s basically a lawyer’s entire job) and the satisfaction that comes with advocating for a certain legal position. Finding the perfect case law and then shaping it into a persuasive position is still a lot of fun for me.
What one piece of advice would you give your younger self?
If I could give one piece of advice to my younger self, it would be to keep reading! Reading is the foundation for good writing. The more you read well-written books, the more your writing will evolve. I read a lot as a kid, and I think that’s why IEW and writing in general was one of my favorite subjects. Even now, my writing as a lawyer is largely influenced by reading well-written legal opinions and law review articles.
Brenna found that IEW provided the foundation that eventually led to her law career. It is a perfect career for people who love to persuade! Do you have students who are interested in law? Share Brenna’s interview with them. It may serve as an encouragement for them to keep honing their writing skills.
