Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayer, Thurgood Marshall, Judge Judy. What do all these people have in common? Their names are the ones that cross our minds when we think of the law. Soon enough, Sydney Kepros, sophomore, may just be up there with them. Sydney’s goal is to become a lawyer.

Ever since Sydney was a little girl, the law has played a big role in her life. Her dad, Chad Kepros, has been in the field since 1996, longer than she’s been alive.

 Out of law school, he became a family law lawyer, later on, he worked as a magistrate judge for roughly a year and a half, and now, for the past five years, has been a six district court judge. Dealing with anything from name changes to murder cases, being at the highest level of judge in the state is anything but easy. However, this doesn’t stop his daughter from wanting to work in that same field when she’s older. 

Sydney’s dad believes they share a lot of the same qualities, especially pertaining to work ethic and intelligence, both crucial elements to becoming a lawyer. 

“I think Sydney has the personality and aptitude to go to law school and grow into an excellent lawyer. If she decides to go to law school I would be excited to have another lawyer in the family. It would be fun to have that shared experience of going to law school and going through the ups and downs of a career in law,” says Chad.

Sydney’s dad has been the main inspiration to her interest in this future, both professionally and personally. 

“I think that all the stories that he’s told me about what he’s done has really influenced me because it’s really interesting- the people he meets, the cases he has, it’s sparked an interest,” said Sydney.

 Since she was young, she’s spent time with her dad at his job, especially in his work as a lawyer, but as she has grown up, she builds more understanding on what he truly does, and it isn’t just a day at work with dad anymore. Now, as a high school student, she has more opportunities to spend time with her dad professionally. 

She has job shadowed him, and though being a judge isn’t what she wants to do, that time with her dad has opened her eyes to what she does see herself doing. Sydney’s interest lies in the work of defense attorneys and contract lawyers. 

BPA, or Business Professionals of America, is another thing that has helped to build her interest and knowledge, specifically with contract law. She is involved with the club at school and says that it’s been a good thing for her, especially looking forward to her future career.

In the words of Zach Hammes, Liberty business teacher, “BPA stands for Business Professionals of America, and is a great student organization which focuses on both soft and hard skill development for students.  There is an assortment of competitions where students can develop these skills and become better business leaders for their future.”  

He also believes that BPA will help to develop her skills surrounding law because there are specific topics surrounding “Legal Office Procedures” and “Business Law and Ethics,” which Sydney also agreed with.

“I haven’t been in BPA that long, but for some of the events, they are law-based, so the combination of the two [law and business] is interesting to me,” said Sydney.

This career has provoked her interest because just like BPA, there is a lot of variety. Also, because she wants to do something good in the world

When asked the main reason she’s considering this career field, Sydney said, “I think the idea of doing different things every day, and seeing different people, and just the interests of different people, which a lot of jobs have that, but law seems cool.”

Looking forward to her future, being a contract lawyer or defense attorney seems to be her area of interest. As for the rest of her life, outside of law, she also hopes to have the opportunity to be a mom, have a dog, and to continue to travel the world.