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Curtis Vosti: A Student of Another Generation [By Mahsa Khalilifar] Whoever coined that old cliché “age is nothing but a number” was pretty accurate. He or she was probably thinking about someone like Curtis Vosti. Either way, the phrase rings true when one learns about Vosti. At 50 years old, he has led a life filled with journalism and politics, but he is now following a different path. What’s on his current agenda? Law school...well, at least for now.
Vosti started out working in journalism,
as much of it as possible so you can get an
lot more...I’m amazed at the possibilities”
where his passion lay in reporting and
idea of the many different areas you can
he said.
history. Having graduated from the University
practice in.” Vosti has always said that student
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1976 with his B.A. in History, Vosti decided not to stop
Vosti added that his opportunities have
associations can prove to be beneficial.
there; he continued his education years later.
taught him a lot and that students should
He has been in numerous organizations,
In 1983, he attended the Missouri School
explore their options.
including working for the school’s
degree. Soon after, he entered the career
“You don’t necessarily have to litigate; you
other student-run groups.
world of daily journalism.
don’t necessarily have to write a complaint;
newspaper, The Decisive Utterance, and
of Journalism and received his master’s
After 12 years of working in the journalism
you don’t necessarily have to be stuck in the
Vosti was one of the students who
back office. But you can do those and a whole
represented his law school at the ABA’s Negotiation Competition in Miami some
field, fate stepped in, and Vosti had to pave a new way for himself. A friend of his had taken to politics and had run for and eventually won the title of Mayor of Hammond, Indiana, a suburb of Chicago. Vosti, who took an interest in politics, had helped his friend with that campaign and a few subsequent ones. Following a loss in the fourth election, though, Vosti decided it was time to move on since he was now officially out of a job. When Vosti was younger, many people said he should become a lawyer, so he decided to follow their advice and do just that. In January of 2005, Vosti went back to hitting the books—this time, law books. He registered at the John Marshall
Q. What do you do for fun? A. Take walks with any and all of my six grandchildren: Courtney, 11, Kyle, seven, Cassie, six, Jacob, six, Hunter, four, and Crystal, four.
months ago. His team placed second,
Q. What CD is in your CD player right now? A. Soul Spectacular: The Classic Hits of Soul, Disc 1, Rhino Records.
world.
Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. Esquire. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. When they are winning, White Sox baseball.
Vosti. “I enjoy trying to understand the law’s development through history.” With his passions for journalism and history, law has been a good transition for Vosti. He emphasized that the legal field has a lot of great opportunities for graduates. “I have been surprised by how broad the field of law is,” Vosti said. “You need to experience
PAGE
U.S. representatives at the International Negotiation Competition in Singapore in July. At the event, the team placed sixth in the
“You learn more from [student] associations than you will from what you have to study in class. The lessons are more practical and will impact you longer than the book learning, though not to minimize the importance of reading the law,” he explained. “You will probably meet a lifelong friend through the associations outside the
Law School in Chicago. “Law seemed the inevitable transition,” said
and they were invited to compete as the
Q. Who is your role model? A. My dad, mom, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thomas Jefferson. My dad because he was always fair. My mom because she believed in pursuing dreams. MLK because he spoke in peals of thunder yet taught nonviolence. And Thomas Jefferson because he was a Renaissance man. Q. What is something most people don’t know about you? A. I’ve played Jeopardy forever, since 1967 it seems.
classrooms, and they are a great source of and resource for networking, which is probably three-quarters of the battle after graduation.” Vosti knows that experience comes with age, but he also enjoys learning from his fellow classmates, young or old. “Being an older student is a blessing,” he said. “My classmates are a source of much delight, enthusiasm, support, and
continued on back
LAWCROSSING
THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF LEGAL JOBS ON EARTH
STUDENT PROFILE
www.lawcrossing.com
1. 800.973.1177
amusement. I am definitely not hip in most
As for the next few months, Vosti is focusing
areas, but I hold my own, and that is a source
on finishing law school. He is set to graduate
of genuine happiness.”
in January 2008.
In the future, Vosti plans on working in
Vosti encourages people to branch out of
the private sector. Ideally, he said, his
the classroom and get various kinds of
Missouri School of Journalism
“dream” career would be getting a “decent
experience. Although he is older now, Vosti
journalism.missouri.edu
buck from [doing] good work in the First
indicated that his words of wisdom have yet
Amendment area—speech, religion, and
to be discovered.
ON THE NET University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign www.uiuc.edu
press.” This summer, Vosti is interning with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s fair housing office in Chicago.
PAGE
John Marshall Law School www.jmls.edu
“I’m too young to stop learning,” Vosti said.