Class of 2025: Brooke Wager turns love of English into path to law school

Name: Brooke Wager

College: College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences

Majors: Professional and technical writing, English with pre-law option

Hometown: Bristow, Virginia

Plans after graduation: Taking a gap year to travel and prepare for law school

Favorite Hokie memories: Being among the first to ring in the New Year during her study abroad trip to New Zealand and English department Halloween parties

Starting with a love of English

When Wager applied to Virginia Tech, she wasn’t sure where her love of English would take her, but she said she was looking for a “big school with small program vibes.”

That’s exactly what she found in the Department of English. She credits the department’s experiential learning courses with opening her eyes to a diverse range of career possibilities and preparing her with the real world skills she needs to succeed.

“It’s given me very well-rounded writing and reading skills,” said Wager. “I've gotten a little taste of almost every kind of writing you can have at this point, which I feel prepares me for a wide array of things going forward.”

Wager double majored in professional and technical writing and English with a pre-law option and will graduate this month as the college’s Phi Kappa Phi Senior Medallion recipient. While she knew she was a strong student academically, she said the recognition still came as a shock.

“It feels really amazing,” she said. “I feel really lucky to be recognized.”

Charting a path toward law

Growing up in Northern Virginia, Wager said she always had a “debater-style” personality that she now realizes lends itself well to law. But being a lawyer wasn’t always her dream job. For a while, she considered becoming a teacher or a paralegal.

“I started with pre-law, but honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do going into school,” she said. “I always did well in and really liked English, and I had really good experiences with my English teachers.”

Her coursework, combined with other experiences – such as a month-long study abroad trip to New Zealand with the College of Natural Resources and Environment – helped solidify her decision to pursue a law degree.

Aside from English, Wager loves learning about the environment and being active. She joined the winter study abroad trip her junior year after taking an indoor plants class.

“It was life changing. We went all around the South Island and learned about the environment and sustainability practices,” Wager said. “That really renewed my interest in law – learning all about their laws and environmental protections. I really brought that back home with me.”

After taking a coding course followed by a technical writing course, she discovered she enjoyed the exactness of technical writing and decided to major in it as well. She soon realized that the skill set complemented her pre-law courses.

“The rules behind it felt different from what I was doing in pre-law, which is sometimes more theoretical,” Wager said. “I really like having both of those at the same time.”

Ultimately, Wager hopes to become a constitutional lawyer.

“I feel like it’s really needed right now, especially in this day and moment,” she said.

Learning by doing

Wager currently works part time as a digital assistant for New Blue Interactive, a marketing agency where she interned her junior year. During her time at Virginia Tech, she participated in several enrollable internships for course credit, including the English department’s Writing Center Theory and Practice course, where she served as a writing coach.

“That was my absolute favorite,” she said. “I feel like it’s really important, because not a lot of students know about it, and it’s such a good resource.”

Through the department’s Small Press Publishing course, Wager worked as a publishing intern for Noemi Press, a nonprofit literary organization that publishes experimental writing. She also worked as an editorial intern for The Minnesota Review, a journal that publishes contemporary poetry, fiction, and critical commentary, through her Editing a Literary Journal course. Wager also served as the director of alumni relations for Kappa Alpha Theta at Virginia Tech.

She said it was her dining services jobs that first helped her feel a sense of belonging on campus. She worked at West End Market as a first-year student and at Viva Market as a sophomore.

"There was such a neat little community that helped me integrate Virginia Tech into home – especially when I was a freshman," she said. "I would get up before the buses run and I’d ride my scooter down to Viva Market, and I’d work from 7 to 12."

Looking ahead

After graduation, she plans to take a gap year to further pursue her love of travel, study for the LSAT, and apply to law schools.

“I really want to go to Denmark because I'm Danish,” she said. “I just want to get back out there and see more of the world. I’d really be down for anywhere, but returning to New Zealand is at the top of my list. I really want to explore the North Island.”

Looking back on her time at Virginia Tech, Wager said she will miss the sense of community most.

“There’s always someone here that’s willing to help you or give you direction,” she said. “Whatever you need, it’s here. I’ve gotten so much use out of all of our resources, from the gym, to classes, and professors and their office hours.”

That support, she said, is a big part of why she feels ready for what comes next.

“I would just like to give a huge shoutout to the English department,” she said. “Everything is a credit to them. Without the experiential learning classes, I wouldn’t have near as many professional skills.”