By Cameron Westbrook, 2L at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

I was never quite sure where I fit in.

Growing up in Slidell, Louisiana, across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans, I’d always been driven, eager to learn, curious about the world … and my parents would be quick to add: fiercely independent.

As I got older, those traits led to an interest in individual rights and free markets, but I could never see how that could be anything more than an interest; I certainly didn’t see how it might translate into a community or a career.

Everything changed when I attended the Restoring Justice Summit at Tulane University. It was my first Students For Liberty event.

I walked in with a few guesses of what to expect: Smart, maybe slightly nerdy people presenting charts, studies, and data. Perhaps some bearded, Gadsden-flag-flying guys from rural Louisiana. Probably some lawyers who were a little too sure of themselves.

But what I found was so different from what I had expected: There was this atmosphere of genuine, intellectual curiosity and principled discussion. The people there — and they were far more diverse than I had expected, by the way — were, above all, there to learn, not to preach.

We heard from speakers committed to reforming the criminal justice system and advancing human freedom, but more importantly, I connected with other students who shared my interests. Many of them were asking the same question I was: How do we turn these principles into real-world impact?

That summit was my introduction to Students For Liberty and a portal into the broader world of pro-liberty thought. Jack Nicastro once called it “the door to Narnia” (you can learn about his story HERE), and I’m happy to report: I walked right through that door and haven’t looked back.

For a few years after that, I did non-profit work, lobbying and phone-banking for criminal justice reform (sentencing, wrongful conviction compensation, qualified immunity) and for cannabis legislation, where we didn’t achieve legalization but got marijuana decriminalized.

But honestly, working in the Louisiana legislature as a lobbyist — and outside it as a grassroots organizer —  made me a little disillusioned with the prospect of advancing liberty in legislatures. The more I learned about public choice theory, the more I saw how the legislative process itself can be inimical to the pursuit of individual liberty. 

That doesn’t mean no effort should be spent in legislatures; it absolutely should, and one of the achievements I’m most proud of was legislative (more on that below). But we classical liberals need a presence in the judiciary as well. It’s the last resort, where the excesses of legislative and executive power can be checked against a Constitution based on natural rights and limited government powers. 

Amidst my disillusionment, SFL came through to show me a way forward. 

I forget how, exactly, but I was invited to and attended an SFL retreat in Michigan. That’s when my path to law school really began. It was also there that I began to understand what made Students For Liberty unique and why they deserved my full attention and support (and why I think they deserve yours, too). 

At the retreat, I met students and leaders from across the country who were not only passionate about liberty but also driven to make a difference on their campuses and beyond.

Over those few days, I began to feel like I was truly a part of a broader movement — a feeling that was new to me. I was reinvigorated, and those late-night conversations in Michigan — whether about philosophy, strategy, or future plans — helped shape my thinking about how I wanted to contribute. More specifically, it planted the seed that law school might be where I could make the biggest impact.

So it’s not unfair to say: That retreat, and the inspiration it provided, is how I ended up at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, where I’m a Local Coordinator. 

A coordinator position is what you make of it: The more you put into it, the more you get out. And I don’t mean to brag, but I’m proud of what I’ve done, from organizing events on campus to my biggest criminal justice victory: passing unanimous juries legislation in Louisiana.

Before the ballot initiative on this issue, Louisiana was one of two states (the other was Oregon) that didn’t require unanimous jury verdicts. After the ballot initiative passed, the Supreme Court ruled that jury verdicts must be unanimous in all states.

To support that initiative, I led a group of volunteers in sending texts to a targeted list of Louisiana voters, making the argument to them that justice is better served when someone can only be convicted (or acquitted, for that matter) by a unanimous verdict.

More recently, I’ve joined House Bastiat, the group of policy wonks within SFL who focus on law and public policy. Being part of House Bastiat has helped me connect with other coordinators across the country, share ideas, and stay motivated to contribute to the movement.

Because as Ethan Yang said recently, “Changing the world is a lot more fun when you’re doing it with friends.”

But they’re more than fun. The people of SFL, and the organization as a whole, have been a central part of my journey to law school and, soon, into the legal profession.

The connections I made through SFL have given me opportunities I wouldn’t have found otherwise — attending events, networking with legal professionals, deepening my understanding of the ideas that drive my work — and, above all, they’ve reminded me again and again: It’s not nerdy or lame or lonely to be a classical liberal; it’s freakin’ exciting!

From that first summit in the extreme American south to the retreat in the extreme north of Michigan, and now through my ongoing role as a Local Coordinator in law school and member of House Bastiat, each experience has added to my growth. 

I’m no longer “not quite sure where I fit in”; I know my calling is a legal career, in which I’ll work to ensure just compensation for government takings of property through eminent domain. In particular, when I learned, through some SFL contacts, about the atrocity of the Kelo v. New London case, I was fired up to work on — and prevent the same outcome as — cases like that one.

Moreover, I know that the relationships I’ve built through SFL will continue to be a source of support and inspiration. 

Students For Liberty has given me something invaluable: a sense of purpose and a network of people who share it. And now, as I enter my final year of law school, I’m prepared to return the favor: by furthering its mission of educating, developing, and empowering other talented young people who maybe aren’t quite sure where they fit in. Yet.