Mary Gamble always thought she would eventually go to law school.

As a high school student, Gamble attended a week-long National Student Leadership Conference at Stanford University, where she learned about law and advocacy and participated in a mock trial. The experience piqued her interest in the law.

But as an undergraduate psychology major at Clemson University, Gamble considered pursuing a master's degree in psychology. She changed her mind and decided to apply to business school instead. While meeting with admissions staff, she learned about Quinnipiac's JD/MBA program. "I came here and everyone was so welcoming. I felt like it would be a good fit," Gamble says.

She found out about her acceptance via a personal phone call from the admissions office: "I love the personal attention. Everyone is so eager to help. It's been great," she says.

Gamble is now in her third year of the four-year joint degree program. "I've finally settled into the rhythm of law school and learned to balance the work." Each semester, she tries to select business and law courses that complement one another, such as financial accounting and federal income tax law.

Gamble also has a part-time job as a law clerk at Doctors Associates Inc., the parent company of Subway, in Milford, Conn. She works on cases in the company's international legal department as well as trademarks/intellectual property issues.

It's a busy schedule to maintain. "I have to stay organized. I make a lot of lists," she says. To help manage stress from her workload, Gamble says she enjoys escaping to a gym off-campus. "It keeps me on track. It's a nice break." She recently started running and completed a half-marathon last fall. Her goal is to complete the Marine Corp. Marathon in Washington, D.C. next fall.

Gamble has taken on leadership roles in several student groups at the School of Law. She serves as Quinnipiac's representative for the American Bar Association, and is vice president of the Sports and Entertainment Law Society and the Society for Dispute Resolution.

One of Gamble's main academic interests is international law. The summer after her first year of law school, Gamble completed a one-month term abroad program at the University of Florence in Italy, where she took three classes in comparative international law. This summer she's hoping to go to Spain to polish her Spanish language skills and learn more about the Spanish business community. "I want to see if there's a way to tie in the two degrees," she says.