Tracy Januzzi

Finance | Class of 2007

Tracy Januzzi '07 always wanted to become a lawyer. The path to that destination, however, was not as clear.

Januzzi came to Susquehanna "completely by chance," as a transfer student. "I had applied to larger schools, thinking that was the only way I could benefit from expert professors and top resources," Januzzi says. After a year of feeling unsatisfied at another university, she transferred to Susquehanna. "Susquehanna provided that warm, traditional college experience in addition to having fascinating, knowledgeable professors and incredible resources," she says.

Now in her second year of law school at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Januzzi is quick to recognize the ways in which Susquehanna prepared her for the rigors of law school.

"Because of Susquehanna's small classes, I learned to constantly enter into a dialog with my professors and classmates. In law school, professors call on you whether you are prepared or not, and you are expected to engage in a back-and-forth argument or discussion. I was used to sitting in class with about 15 other students and a professor, so I was not at all uncomfortable when I was asked to speak and to state my position," Januzzi says.

Even though she majored in finance at Susquehanna, Januzzi says her classes trained her for the type of thinking needed to do well in law school. "Anyone can understand the language of the law when it is taught to them, but it is being able to think about it critically, to analyze it and to spot the issues that may arise in various situations that make you a successful law student."

At Susquehanna, Januzzi was engaged in multiple activities and held various leadership roles, but it was her experience in the London program that really helped her define her goals for the future. "The program encouraged me to consider the study of business from a global perspective," says Januzzi, noting a group project in which her team had to analyze the way one Slovakian company conducted business relative to its competitors.

"I came back from the London program with such an increased awareness of the world and business and an insatiable desire to one day go back and live abroad," she says.

Although still uncertain of the exact area of law she would like to focus on, Januzzi would like to pursue a career in some sort of corporate or business law. "I recently visited the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and was very much interested in the project finance work done by that governmental agency," Januzzi says. She also has entertained the idea of working as a corporate counsel and has considered exploring her passion for civil rights work.

Until she finds her niche, Januzzi says she'd like to start working at a firm where she will be exposed to law in a variety of areas. "Ultimately, I would like to find some specialty so that I can immerse myself in that type of law and really become an expert at what I do," says Januzzi.