Following graduation from PC, Trey pursued his legal training from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  He had intended to pursue an International Masters in Business Administration as well, but as he progressed through his law training, his path took different turns.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO MAJOR IN HISTORY AT PC?

I initially decided to double major in History and Political Science because I enjoy the subjects and I knew that I wanted to attend law school.  Once I began my studies, I found the professors in the History Department particularly energetic, which motivated me to dive deeper into the field and explore its relevance to my career goals.

WHY HAVE YOU DONE SINCE GRADUATING FROM PC?

I began studying at the University of South Carolina School of Law in Columbia, SC, after graduating from Presbyterian College.  During law school, I worked for South Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company as a law clerk, researching and analyzing legal implications for compliance issues.  In my third year of law school, I left Farm Bureau and started working for the American Bar Association’s Real Property, Trust & Estate Law Journal as editor in chief.  The Journal is published three times a year and is distributed to over 23,000 practitioners and academics throughout the United States.  The Journal has afforded me opportunities to travel, network, and develop my legal writing and editing skills.

While work is important to me, service and life outside of law school are important parts of my life as well.  I continue to live the PC motto: dum vivimus servimus or while we live, we serve.  I serve with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, which helps individuals fill out their tax forms, and I have served with the Boy Scouts of America during the Law Day Merit Badge program.  I have also had the opportunities to travel a good bit since graduating, including trips to Ireland, New York City, Denver, and road tripping to Indianapolis.  I credit my desire to travel in part to the Eastern Europe Maymester with Dr. Wiecki, the Turkey Spring Break trip with Drs. Campbell and Heiser, and travel discussions with Dr. Nelson.

HOW DID YOUR HISTORY MAJOR PREPARE YOU FOR YOUR CAREER PATH?

My studies at Presbyterian College engrained in me the skills to read quickly and efficiently, value diverse perspectives, and communicate effectively. These skills are instrumental in law school and within the areas of the law that I have worked.  When an issue comes up in class or with the Journal, I often have some background in the issue, but I may not know much about the specifics.  My experiences with the History Department at Presbyterian College and the University of South Carolina School of Law have provided me with the ability to research and analyze a specific subject and then apply the law to the factual issue.  These skills will be helpful as I enter the legal profession. I hope to be a law clerk in South Carolina and then work for a company as part of an in-house counsel department.

Learn more about the History Department  »