I experienced EL’s principle of “primacy of self-discovery” when I took fieldwork with Major Cody my Second class year. In his class, I had to research, interview, and network with VMI alums that were lawyers to produce a legal reference document. When I discovered I had to conduct a forty-minute-long interview with people I did not know and of such importance, I was immediately intimidated. I explained to Major Cody that I did not have the knowledge or qualifications to interview a lawyer. Major Cody reassured me that I did have the capabilities to interview a lawyer and that the qualification and knowledge would come with a little bit of research and time. After some time and extensive research about Notre Dame’s Law school, the University of Michigan’s law school, and the legal field, I did have the qualifications and knowledge. In fieldwork, I also experienced EL’s principle of “…having wonderful ideas…”.

Before my particular legal-based fieldwork class was created, I had always questioned whether or not VMI was preparing students, those interested in law school, for the rigors of law school and shaping them into competitive applicants. My endless stream of questions inspired me to talk to Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Atwell about creating a document that would guide Cadets interested in law school on how to succeed at VMI to get into law school. LTC Atwell liked the idea and assigned the assistant pre-law advisor, Major Cody, to the task. With the guidance and mentorship of Major Cody, I generated a plethora of helpful information for VMI Cadets on what resources VMI provides for those interested in law school, what resources the University of Michigan and Notre Dame provide for Cadets, and in what areas could VMI improve to help Cadets looking to go to law school. I came up with the idea of a digital magazine that Cadets could access from their phones and save. Major Cody loved the idea and helped me create the nineteen-page magazine. Ultimately, the Virginia Military Institute’s (VMI) class titled Field Work and Major Cody supported both EL’s principles of “primacy of self-discovery” and “…having good ideas”.