Some students enter college knowing exactly they want to do with their career. One of these students was Anabella Garcia, ±«Óătv St. Petersburg alumna and a current Stetson University College of Law student.
Eager to expedite her education and begin working in legal field, Garcia choose to pursue the Honors Collegeâs Accelerated Stetson 3+3 Bachelorâs/J.D. Program â a partnership with Stetson Law â that provided her the perfect opportunity launch her academic journey while still benefiting from the support and interdisciplinary learning experiences offered by the ±«Óătvâs Judy Genshaft Honors College.
The Accelerated Stetson 3+3 program allows Honors College students to count their first year at Stetson toward their fourth-year undergraduate electives. As a result, students in the program spend just three years at ±«Óătv before starting law school.
For Garcia, this meant taking the LSAT earlier than most pre-law students. But she
saw the program as a perfect fit for her aspirations.
âI came to ±«Óătv with the 3+3 program in mind, and it was a really big draw for me to
go to ±«Óătv,â said Garcia. âI was thinking, âI know what I want to do, and I want to
start doing it now, and how can I get there as soon as possible?ââ
A New Path to Policy
Law became the ideal path for Garcia to pursue a meaningful career when she started getting involved in her high school newspaper and video production team. Through these experiences, Garcia interviewed various members of her community affected by local laws and was involved in conversations about real-world civic issues.
She initially considered a career in journalism, but after careful reflection, realized a legal degree would provide her more opportunities to affect change at the source â where laws are produced and interpreted.
âI set my sights on law school when I looked into what I wanted to do and how to create policy and other initiatives, and I found that a legal background was necessary for those things,â said Garcia.
Developing a Voice at ±«Óătv
Garcia found that ±«Óătv St. Petersburgâs close-knit Honors community, welcoming atmosphere, and emphasis on environmental science â influenced by its waterfront location â helped shape her legal research interests and professional skills.
As event co-chair on the campusâs inaugural Honors Student Council, she gained valuable leadership experience and learned to think creatively.
âIt was a really big learning curve because there were no previous events to look back on,â said Garcia. âWe had to be creative and experiment, and we had a lot of freedom in choosing our events.â
St. Petersburg was more than a place for Garcia to engage with the Honors community â itâs where she discovered how she could make an impact.
Before attending ±«Óătv St. Petersburg, environmental law wasnât on her radar. But the courses, fieldwork, and waterfront setting impacted her path.
âI have to give full credit to ±«Óătv St. Pete,â said Garcia. âI didnât expect to be interested in environmental policy, but I fell in love with every class. St. Pete is such a good place to have hands-on experience and see the actual landscape that was being affected by these policies we were learning about in class.â
Challenges Bring Opportunities
Although Garcia felt ready to start law school ahead of the typical timeline, adjusting to the heightened expectations of graduate studies took time. Now thriving at Stetson, she acknowledges that she had to adapt to a new level of professionalism and academic rigor.
âShifting into the coursework and Stetson atmosphere was a big change. Law school demands more studying and a higher level of professionalism â itâs a different stage of life.â
âYou never have to feel like youâre too young to be sitting at the table, and you have to know what youâre capable of â you deserve to be there." - Anabella Garcia
In addition to the academic challenge, Garcia has been impressed by the environmentally focused opportunities at Stetson Law â including a class camping trip to the Everglades â which have deepened her interest in environmental law.
âRecently we went on a camping trip for a class called âCases and Places.â We read a bunch of cases about the Everglades and then did a four-day camping trip around the Everglades to see the results of these cases and how they might have impacted that local environment,â said Garcia.
She also worked at the where she where she investigated local environmentally focused cases firsthand.
âWe did pro-bono environmental work, and having hands-on experience with Florida-specific affected groups led to many of my research interests â it was really eye-opening to see that some of these things were happening right down the street.â
Turning Research Into Action
Garcia blends research and legal action by studying environmental laws, specifically the governmentâs involvement in Floridaâs surplus lands. She even presented her research at .
âI have been studying how the government can decide whether or not to get rid of lands and what that process looks like, which is not as regulated as you might think,â said Garcia. âPresenting at Yale Law Schoolâs Environmental Law Conference was an eye-opening experience â it was great to hear from all of these different people around the country and what environmental issues they were facing in their respective states.â
After graduation, she plans to remain in Florida, advocating for stronger environmental policies and working to protect natural lands from development.
âI feel like a lot of people have this idea that Florida is a lost cause when it comes to environmental issues because of all the developmental pressure and political climate,â said Garcia. âI would like to stay in Florida and fight the good fight for the environmental issues here.â
Why Accelerate Your Honors Experience?
For students interested in a career in law, the Honors Accelerated Stetson 3+3 Bachelorâs/J.D. Program offers a valuable opportunity to fast-track their education.
Garcia encourages prospective students to trust their ability to succeed and to pursue meaningful change in the areas they care about most.
âFor people considering the 3+3 program, you never have to feel like youâre too young to be sitting at the table, and you have to know what youâre capable of â you deserve to be there,â said Garcia.