"I'm torn between law and singing," says Juliana Russo '02. A political science and Spanish major with a passion for the performing arts, Russo is, at the moment, leaning towards a career in international law. Local internships have convinced her she's making the right choice. During Short Term of her first year, she interned at the Lewiston law offices of a Bates alum. This summer she interned for eight weeks at Linnell, Choate & Webber, an Auburn law firm.

On the Bates campus, Russo pursues her other love: music. At campus a capella concerts, her strong soprano voice can be heard harmonizing with fellow members of the female group the Merimanders. Russo has also sung the national anthem at Bates football games and performed at the college chaplain's "Busy Life, Peaceful Center" gatherings.

When she's not singing, Russo continues to develop the communication skills she'll need in the courtroom. She work for the development office as a student caller and admissions as a tourguide. Leading tours of prospective students around the campus, Russo likes to emphasize the many opportunities Bates offers. "Bates encourages students to explore the different elements of a liberal arts education," says Russo. "You can be an academic and a singer. You don't have to choose."

—By Jennifer Giblin '01