Michelle Shamblin Stratton – Fall 2011 Columns; Interview via email

Please tell us about your background. Also, your mother mentioned you cleaned stalls as a young girl. Could you provide the details on that? (Any other stories you would like to share?)

I was born and raised in central Louisiana.  When I look back at those formative years, I am so humbled by the evidence of God's grace in my life.  

My parents are both followers of Jesus Christ, and we attended church every time the doors were open.  Some people might be skeptical of an upbringing like that, wondering if I ever had a chance to "develop my own beliefs."  But my parents did exactly what parents should do: they taught me about Jesus through their words and through their example, and they required me to go to church because I was under their authority, but they also encouraged my questions about matters of faith.  As a result, I became convinced at a young age--5 years old--that the Gospel was true, and I believe it still.  As a matter of personality type, I am "prone to wander," as the old hymn says, toward stubbornness and rebellion, and I can only imagine the direction my life could have taken if God hadn't grabbed hold of my heart when He did!

Growing up, I learned the importance of family and friendship.  We lived in the same town as my dad's family, and a few hours from my mom's family, and I have very happy memories of time spent with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  I also learned the importance of a church family, the people who literally watched me grow up, who taught me Sunday school, who brought casseroles when someone was sick or died, who came to my graduations, and just supported me.  God is so kind to give us people with whom we can walk through the ups and downs of life.  

My parents emphasized hard work, perseverance, and respect.  If you have the privilege of living in a nice, comfortable house, then you bear the responsibilty of cleaning the bathrooms, vacuuming, mowing the yard, and, if you're too young to mow, picking up sticks before dad mows (not my favorite task).  If you have the privilege of owning and riding horses, then you bear the responsibility of cleaning stalls.  Every Saturday.  For eight hours.  In the heat.  But I'm telling you, there's not a day that goes by that I don't appreciate a desk job in an air-conditioned building, and most importantly, I learned how to work.  I also learned not to quit and leave things half-done.  If you had the privilege of taking piano lessons every week for thirteen years, you didn't get to quit and squander what you had learned because you didn't feel like practicing.  Finally, I learned respect.  We live in a culture that says you don't owe anyone respect if they haven't earned it, but we have a God who tells us to show honor to our parents, to those in authority over us, and even to those who society considers "beneath" us, whether or not they've done anything to deserve it.  With that teaching in my mind, and with the reminder that I have been given everything when I deserve nothing, it's a bit easier to show respect to my husband, my boss, my co-workers, etc.

But with all of the discipline came love and generosity.  My sister and I used to joke with my mom that we much preferred when dad took us to school on field trip days, because he would always stop by the ATM and give us more money than we needed.  I never wanted for anything, and I was always told that I was loved unconditionally and that there was nothing I could do to change that.  Life wasn't idyllic--we all sinned, and we struggled through trials--but I am so grateful that God in his sovereignty gave me that upbringing.

Why LC?

Several reasons.  Both of my parents attended LC and valued the time they spent there, so I grew up with a very favorable impression of the school.  Plus, because LC was essentially in my hometown, I was familiar with the campus: I was in the CATS summer program as an elementary school student, had piano competitions at Weathersby Fine Arts Center, and went to basketball games on occasion.  When it was time to start thinking about college, I was drawn to the fact that LC was a small school where you could really get to know your teachers and the other students.  I didn't want to get lost in a crowd of thousands at a state school.  LC is also inexpensive compared to other private schools, and with the Top Twenty scholarship I received, I was essentially able to attend for free.  It was also very important to me that LC was challenging academically - as a History major and an English minor, I had plenty of opportunities to read and write critically, a skill that served me well in law school and in practice as an attorney.  Finally, but perhaps most importantly, I was excited about attending a school that pledged to integrate faith and learning.  Some scoff at religiously-affiliated schools, assuming that only a secular education is a top quality education.  But that's false.  Churches pioneered formal education, which makes sense when you consider that God is the author of all knowledge, and loving the Lord your  God with all of your mind means diligently seeking to understand the world He created.  Science, music, art....none of it would exist without the brilliant creativity of the Father.     

Why law?

I think the idea of being an attorney first occurred to me in junior high.  Communicating through words, whether spoken or written, and thinking critically and analytically seemed to be  natural strengths for me.  I was intrigued by the idea of staking out a position and then convincing someone else that it was best (I think I started working on that skill around age 2).  As I got older and learned more about the actual practice of law, rather than the TV version, I realized that a legal career has tremendous flexibility - there are a myriad of areas in which a person can practice, and attorneys are also sought after for non-legal careers.  At age 22, when I went to law school, the idea of not having to know exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up was pretty appealing.  

What is your current role?

I'm currently a law clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court of the United States.  A judicial law clerk usually serves a one-year term, and the job involves researching the cases that come before your judge's court, writing memoranda making a recommendation to your judge about how the case should be resolved, and helping to draft your judge's opinions deciding the case.  

What have been some of the most exciting and special moments so far in your career?

As a clerk to Chief Judge Edith Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (a federal appellate court), and as a Bristow Fellow in the Office of the Solicitor General (the office that represents the United States before the Supreme Court), I've had the opportunity to work on interesting cases that matter to people's lives.  I've also met great people, people who have seen things I've only read about and who've mentored and championed me.  When I think about my career thus far, I'm most struck by how great it is to live in America.  This country provides a person like me--from Tioga, Louisiana, born to parents without extraordinary wealth or political connections, educated mostly in public schools--with the opportunity to walk the halls of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Department of Justice, and the Supreme Court of the United States.  In other parts of the world, children are born without any chance of "upward mobility" whatsoever.   

What honors are you most proud of in your life?

When you've experienced success as the world defines it, it's very easy to bask in that glow.  I vividly remember praying before a piano recital, or before I sang at a public event, or before I took a law school exam, and nervously asking God to help me do my best and even better with His help.  God would faithfully answer that prayer and I would do fine, but in the midst of the accolades I would often find myself forgetting to even thank God for his provision.  My prayers eventually shifted to asking God to help me remember to thank Him when I experienced success.  

I love the song "How Deep the Father's Love For Us."  One verse says, "I will not boast in anything, no gifts, no power, no wisdom.  But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection."  I rarely get through that verse without crying, for so often I fall short and find myself prideful or, more often than not, fearful of losing man's approval (this, I think, is the true sign of pride, even if we maintain humble exteriors).  I think the key is to realize that your gifts, power, or wisdom are from God's abundance, and that they are only temporary and are to be used for His glory.  My prayer is that I will learn to be less so that Jesus is greater.

Have you had someone in your life who has been an example, mentor, or supporter in your life? If so, who and why? What have you learned from them?

Oh, wow.  How long can this article be? 

Well, if it's not already obvious, my parents epitomize support.  Whenever I get too big for my britches, my mom likes to remind me that SHE taught little-miss-attorney how to read.  And I still laugh when I think about coming down the stairs late at night and announcing that I was ready for my mom to listen as I read from (sometimes spotty) memory all 75 handwritten pages of notes from one of my history classes at LC, in preparation for a test; I'd be in the middle of describing the various maneuvers in the Battle of the Bulge, and my mom's head would be bobbling as she fought sleep.  In all seriousness, my parents are the type of parents that show up to all of your stuff.  When I was 6 they were at my school programs, and when I was 26 they got on a plane to Washington, D.C., to watch me argue for 10 minutes in court because it was my first real argument. 

My sister epitomizes loyalty.  She is my biggest fan and has a tremendous ability to empathize with others and genuinely share their happiness and their sadness.  

My grandpa Burton gave me the best advice when I graduated from LC: "Don't forget where you came from."  I carry that with me.

My best friend, Laurie, who I met in class at LC, is the answer to my prayer that God would bless me with true friendship.  She has seen me at my worst, and loved and encouraged me no matter what.  

I couldn't ask for better in-laws, who show their love and support in the little things and the big things.  When I'm coming to visit, the kitchen is always stocked with Diet Dr. Pepper and my sister-in-law has probably made some form of chocolatey goodness.  They've hauled all of the worldly goods my husband and I possess across the country to help us move and expect nothing in return.  And, they still pretend to be impressed by my cool attorney job and ask me lots of questions to make me feel good!  

My husband, Brandon, has taught me more about God's grace in the short time we've been married than any other person in my life.  God knew He'd created a firecracker, and he gave me the most patient, thoughtful, and kind husband who loves me in spite of myself.

There have been countless others - teachers, coaches, bosses, co-workers, and friends - along the way.  

What would you like to tell current and future LC students?

It won't profit you to gain the whole world if you lose your soul.  So, settle your eternity before you settle your life goals.  But as for life goals: work hard, do your best, develop discipline, learn to think independently.  It will pay dividends later.  On the other hand, don't get so caught up in thinking about your future that you forget to live in the present.  Your time at LC will go faster than you think, and then you'll turn around and your life will no longer be divisible by semesters peppered with weeks off at a time for the holidays!  Treasure the relationships you form at LC, learn from the wise people that work there, and have fun.    

Any words for the LC community?

My time at LC was invaluable preparation for the future, and I'm so grateful to the administrators, professors, and friends at LC who helped me grow.  As a school that emphasizes a Christ-centered, rigorous education, LC is light in the midst of a secular academic world that is so often characterized by the darkness of cynicism and elitism.  I hope the school will continue to experience the support and dedication of the LC community.