Turning Opportunities into Directions: How My Time as a Campus Ambassador Helped Define My Career Path?

Karina Tsang
Oct 14
5 min read

Updated: Oct 15

Are you still searching for internships or wondering where to start your career journey? Many of us see internships as a way to gain work experience, but they also serve a much deeper purpose; they help us to understand what kind of career truly fits us. For me, joining Ravenscroft & Schmierer as a Campus Ambassador was a year-long journey of learning and growth. It was a commitment that gave me countless opportunities to speak my thoughts and take on real responsibilities. Through this experience, I became more confident to build my own career path.

Starting the Journey: Understanding Myself

Like many students, I was trying to search for my future career. At the beginning, I believed I needed to choose what seemed like the “right” path for a law student. But as I continued through my degree at the University of Manchester, I began to realise that a right career is about recognising our own strengths and interests. I came to understand that experiences are what truly shape my understanding. They allowed me to test and reflect on what truly suits me. This idea led me to apply for the Campus Ambassador role at Ravenscroft & Schmierer. I was drawn to develop skills and gain meaningful insights through this long-term commitment.

Stepping into the Role of Campus Ambassador at Ravenscroft & Schmierer

Becoming a Campus Ambassador for Ravenscroft & Schmierer has helped me to understand not just what the legal profession looks like from the outside, but where I see myself within it. In my role, my main goal was to let more students know about our firm and to provide tailored support to every application. Through this experience, I gained hands-on exposure that went far beyond anything I could have learned in a classroom. Apart from answering queries and helping with the firm’s promotions, I initiated an event for the firm.

The chance to independently organise an event at my university was one of the most impactful moments of my journey as a Campus Ambassador. It started with a simple idea I proposed to the firm, and I was grateful to receive their full support. I reached out to Samantha Bradley, a Legal Consultant at Ravenscroft & Schmierer, to shape it into a workshop focused on the Rule of Law. From that point on, I took the lead in bringing the event to life.

The Rule of Law is an essential topic today as it underpins the foundation of legal systems around the world. In a time when political and social structures are constantly being challenged, understanding the Rule of Law helps us see how legal frameworks protect individual. We explored how the Rule of Law applies not just in textbooks, but in the daily work of lawyers, judges, and policymakers. It was a timely reminder that as future legal professionals, we have a responsibility to protect and strengthen the foundations of justice.

This event was more than just an experience to be written on my CV. It reminded me that:

being a lawyer is not just about knowing the law but about protecting justice and contributing to the society we live in.

Planning the event along way and seeing how it inspired thoughtful conversations made me realise how much I value work that connects people with meaningful ideas. It was a moment that helped me see more clearly the kind of legal path I want to pursue.

Powerful Online Tool: LinkedIn

When I first applied for the Campus Ambassador programme, I was asked to update my LinkedIn profile with a professional photo and make my first post. At the time, I found this surprisingly difficult. I did not have any legal work experience to share and was not sure what would be considered “worth posting”. I reached out to a current Campus Ambassador for advice, and I was encouraged to share something meaningful from my student life. That gave me the confidence to write a post about finishing my year as a student representative. It was a small step, but it changed the way I viewed LinkedIn.

I started to see it not just as a place to showcase achievements, but as a space to share and grow.

Once I began my role, LinkedIn became a key part of how I stayed engaged with the legal world. I shared updates on events, reflected on what I was learning, and wrote about experiences that shaped my thinking. I also made an effort to comment on posts that resonated with me and to join conversations that sparked my interest. This helped me grow more confident in expressing my thoughts publicly and allowed me to build a more authentic presence online. Most importantly, I learned to use LinkedIn as a networking tool. After meeting people at events, I followed up with messages and often gained new insights through these connections. Over time, being active on LinkedIn became more than a habit, it became a meaningful part of how I stay curious and learn from others in the profession.

Navigation Never Stops

When it comes to applications, it is not just about a firm choosing you, it is also about you choosing the right firm. Outside of the role, I knew I need to gain exposure to different working environments and hear directly from those already in the profession. Attending careers dinners helped me speak with lawyers from a range of firms and better understand their differences in cultures and practice areas.

For example, even for city law firms, one may focus on high-profile M&A work, while another stands out in niche areas like technology or energy. Choosing the firm that fits your interest is important. Last November, I visited the London office of an international law firm through an open day. It was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to step inside the firm and observe its environment. This reminds me of the open-house event at Ravenscroft & Schmierer.

As Campus Ambassadors, we presented the firm to fellow aspiring solicitors and connect with each other in the event. Having conversations with professionals from different places, I got a much clearer sense of what working there would feel like, which is something that no amount of online research could fully capture.

What stood out most was how differently each firm approached their work. Experiencing this firsthand helped me realise the importance of finding a workplace that matches not only your legal interests, but also your preferred way of working. One piece of advice I would give to any student is this:

Take every chance to get involved, ask questions, and visit firms in person if you can. A firm will notice the effort you put into understanding who they are and that genuine curiosity can make all the difference in your application.

Always be Prepared

One of the most important lessons I have taken from my journey so far is the value of being prepared: not just for applications, but for every stage of growth. Building a legal career takes more than good grades. It involves constant development of skills and adaptation in every learning environment. Through my role as a Campus Ambassador and the opportunities that followed, I learned the importance of saying yes to challenges, even when they felt unfamiliar at first. Each experience added something new to the way I see the profession and helped me grow more confident in my direction. Staying open-minded may bring some of the most unexpected but rewarding opportunities. The legal profession is constantly evolving, so are we as students. My experience as a Campus Ambassador was where much of growth began.

For any student looking to enrich their university experience and develop professional skills, I would highly recommend you join our Campus Ambassador programme and take the first step forward!

To give you a glimpse into what this journey looked like, I have put together a short video capturing my life as a Campus Ambassador at the University of Manchester.