“I never loved any school before, but I love Valpo. I feel like I have a niche here. Everyone is very friendly, and I enjoy my classes and everything about the experience. The people they admit here are very diverse, and so it’s easy to find people you fit in with.” 

—Elizabeth Genova

During the her first week living in a foreign country, Elizabeth Genova spent most of the time hungry and learned a valuable lesson: “There’s a very helpless feeling when you can’t communicate some of the most basic things – even how to order what to eat. When you’re in a new culture and getting used to a new language, or new laws, even things that may seem contrary to your common sense – I understand a bit about that.”

She laughs retelling how she coped by overhearing what a young boy was ordering, memorizing both his words and pronunciation, and proceeding to order the same thing … for an entire week. “To me it seemed like such an accomplishment! You just take the little things each time as a mini victory, and you go from there.”

Elizabeth lived abroad for a year, and calls that experience “training in how to relate to people.” Now she’s using that insight, her considerable volunteer work with foreign students and her undergraduate degree in international studies to pursue a legal career in hopes of continuing to assist and advocate for people from all walks of life.

“There is something so compelling about helping someone get a fair deal. You want to make sure the law doesn’t discriminate against anyone.” Her father, a criminal attorney, and her mother, a nurse, raised her to understand that many people struggle with difficult lives and that she had a responsibility to help others. Experience with African refugees seeking asylum in Austria also fueled Elizabeth’s passion for the law as a tool to help those less fortunate. The “Verein Ute Bock” Refugees Project in Vienna assists refugees from all over the world, and Elizabeth’s work as a translator led her to realize: “I wanted to make sure that other people are safe and that no one is forgotten. It was somewhat overwhelming because I wanted to make sure I was helping people with the gifts I have, and there were just so many people there who needed help.”

Knowing that a legal education would allow her to affect the changes she hoped to see in the world, Elizabeth transitioned directly from her undergraduate studies to law school. The friendly environment, student diversity, and quality instruction has made her enthusiastic about the experience.

“This year I’ve learned a lot about myself – like what I can do under pressure – that I can do the impossible. You definitely get the experience you see on TV, where you’re put on the spot and grilled for answers – then you get the professors who challenge you, and some who grab your interest, but you’re drawn to them all.  It’s an effective instruction method, and you realize you learn more.

So far, Elizabeth is drawn to study criminal law, and she’s preparing for the future through involvement with the Hellenic Law Association and Illinois State Bar Association. And true to her dedication to service, she also works at the Valparaiso University Writing Center tutoring international students – primarily those from Saudi Arabia or China – to help convey their thoughts in writing. “I like helping people find a moment of clarity where things make sense to them,” Elizabeth says. “People will come to you and they have no idea where to begin. I like breaking things down for them, and then seeing the light bulb come on. That’s when you know you’ve done a good job.”