Student Spotlight: Erin Watkins '10
Armed with a bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University and a master’s in European politics from the London School of Economics, Erin Watkins arrived at Notre Dame with a global outlook. Her previous studies, which included an internship with a member of the European Parliament, were “a natural progression, getting ever more focused and a little more technical,” she says. “International law seemed like the logical next step.”
Her curiosity about international affairs emerged at an early age. “I’m part of a multi-racial family—both of my younger sisters are foreign adoptees [from South Korea and India]. So I was always aware that there was a bigger world out there and that, in essence, it is governed by laws.”
Writing is another passion that led Watkins to law school. As an undergraduate, she contributed original research to the acclaimed book Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, written by her advisor, linguist Naomi S. Baron. While at LSE, Watkins wrote an essay on German foreign policy that won a contest sponsored by the German Embassy.
After just one year of law school, Watkins’ credentials helped her land a summer research assistantship with Professor Mary Ellen O’Connell, an eminent legal scholar. The two worked intensively to pull together the final draft of O’Connell’s latest book, The Power and Purpose of International Law, published by Oxford University Press. With that project finished, Watkins hopped on a plane for Notre Dame’s London Summer Program, where she took classes on the European Union and international human rights law.
“There’s no question that Erin is a superstar,” says O’Connell of her research assistant, whom she calls “indispensable, an excellent editor, and a natural writer.” Watkins modestly says her work with O’Connell involved “the normal stuff you would expect a research assistant to do—blue-booking, checking citations, and checking quotations for accuracy. But we had a really good rapport in the office and several opportunities grew out of that. I edited a piece she wrote for the Alabama Law Review on international art law, and we’ve agreed to keep working together this fall on a collection of essays on the meaning of war.”
Although her career plans are still open, Watkins says, “What I’ve always wanted to do is write, and law school seems like a way to gain proficiency in a field, to become an expert. I think practicing law for a few years is a way to solidify that, and then maybe I could parlay a successful stint at a firm into being able to write about topics that interest me.”
“I definitely think that Notre Dame’s small size gives students earlier and richer opportunities,” says Watkins. “Notre Dame is also different in that it’s not sink or swim, or a trial by fire, for first-year students. Once you’re in the door, they want to see you graduate and they want to see you succeed.”
