FTG 0027 – Overcoming Adversity with Attorney & Former Student Athlete Chris Wilson ‘06

Overview:

Christopher Wilson ’06 Liberal Arts is a Senior Associate in the Washington, DC office of the international law firm Baker Botts. His practice there focuses on civil antitrust and other complex commercial litigation. He earned his BA in Political Science with Honors from Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts and went on to earn his JD from Stanford in 2012. He played running back and full back for the Nittany Lions in his first and second years as a Scholar. This episode will be helpful to any Scholar who is facing obstacles, and particularly student athletes, as Chris talks about his experience of nearly dropping out before leveraging relationships to stay and succeed. You can read Chris’ bio and a more detailed breakdown of episode topics below.

Guest Bio:

Christopher Wilson is a Senior Associate in the Washington, DC office of the international law firm Baker Botts. His practice there focuses on civil antitrust and other complex commercial litigation; he represents Fortune 500 companies and other major corporations in litigation throughout the country. Before joining Baker Botts in 2018, Chris was a litigation associate at the international law firm of Winston & Strawn in Chicago, IL. He earned a BA in Political Science with Honors from Penn State in 2006, where he also played running back and fullback for the Nittany Lions, and earned a law degree from Stanford Law School in 2012. In his spare time, Chris enjoys reading science fiction and noir detective novels, as well as finding new and exciting things to do and see in the city. He is happy to talk about things as esoteric as antitrust law and as enjoyable as the best hotels and restaurants in cities around the world! Please feel free to connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-wilson-a4653748

Episode Specifics:

In this episode, Chris shares his insights on:

· Choosing Penn State and the Schreyer Honors College over top alternative options on and off the field

· Selecting liberal arts majors for their versatility and desired practical skill sets

· Planning your thesis and determining the skills you need to develop to complete it, like data analysis

· The importance of getting to know your faculty, honors advisor, and thesis advisor

· Dealing with adversity and making tough choices around prioritization to learn resilience as a response to setbacks and burnout

· Considering dropping out of the Honors College and engaging with staff to find ways to stay a Scholar

· Transitioning away from the regimentation of student athlete life

· Continuing research in industry rather than graduate programs

· Deciding to go to law school after working full time

· Advice on approaching law school motivation, relationships, and opportunities

· Paying it forward as an alumni donor to provide resources to current Scholars

· Learning the values of resilience and humility

· The power of relationships

· Enjoying University Park & State College – or your Commonwealth Campus & local town – while you’re in college