Adam T. Hockensmith

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"As the first person to attend college from a working-class family of eight, I have sought to use my education to explore unfamiliar ideas and activities. Taking on new challenges has sparked my passion for politics, cultivated my interest in religious traditions and inter-faith dialogue, and shaped my views on justice. I will enter law school with the same open-mindedness and drive to succeed that has taught me not only how to solve problems, but how to lead my life."

  • Program: 2009 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: New Haven, CT
  • Hometown: Hagerstown, Maryland
  • Age: 23

Biography

 

PROFILE: Maryland native Adam Hockensmith has returned from Japan, where he worked as an assistant English teacher at Toyama High School, to begin classes at Yale Law School. During his tenure in Toyama, a city on the island of Honshū, this well-rounded and energetic young man not only worked on his Japanese language skills, he also pursued his love of writing poetry. He made an effort to compose at least two poems daily, claiming that “poetic analysis and writing poetry has helped to unlock his potential for creative reasoning." He eventually hopes to publish a collection of his poems, but says that, in the meantime, continuing to read and write poetry will help him succeed in his legal studies.
 
While in college, Adam sought out diverse opportunities. Among his many activities at Washington and Lee University, Adam presided over the College Democrats, arranged speakers at Hillel events, and served as a Residential Advisor for freshman year students. Despite his varied commitments, Adam says that his drive was tested after a shaky first year. The following summer, Adam worked as a dishwasher at a local pub. He said that a long summer in the dish room caused him to reflect on how he could make the most of his college experience:  “I came to understand that I could not afford to do less than my best, as that would amount to squandering an opportunity that not all Americans have.”  With renewed determination, Adam showed up on campus for sophomore year and quickly found his passion for philosophy and politics. He says that his studies have changed the way he approaches difficult problems and have equipped him well for a future in public service, where he will need “to address the socially charged issues of the future with empathy for those affected, but also with the unprejudiced judgment required of those entrusted with responsibility.”
 
INSPIRATION:  Adam said he would not be where he is today without the support of Melina Bell and William Lad Sessions, two of his professors from Washington and Lee. “They shaped how I think about a range of issues concerning social justice and political equality.” Adam’s interest in working with children inspired him to teach in Japan before law school. At Yale, he intends to pursue his commitment to justice by assisting families in need through clinical work. 
 
ASPIRATION:  After law school, Adam hopes to clerk for a federal judge. He has considered several career paths after clerking, such as working in private practice - preferably as a litigator at a firm that has a strong commitment to pro bono - or working as a prosecutor for the United States Department of Justice. 
 
MAKING A DIFFERENCE:  During his year teaching in Japan, Adam worked closely with one of his English students to help her gain admission to Tsuda College, a top women’s college in Japan. “Every day after school for two months I helped prepare her for her interview with the college admissions officials.” She “aced” the interview, Adam proudly reported.

ACCOLADES:  Adam received several honors and awards during his undergraduate days. They include the Edward Dodd Prize awarded for the best honors thesis in Philosophy and the Milton Colvin Scholarship, awarded to a junior majoring in political science. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
 
INTERESTING FACT:  During his time in Japan, Adam climbed Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest mountain, “at night during a terrible storm.”

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