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On the same day the United States of America began a shakeup of the nation's capital like it never has before, former Cal volleyball standout Christina Higgins found out she would be moving there.
 
Higgins returned to her apartment in Berkeley after a day at work at a Walnut Creek law firm on Jan. 20 to find smiling roommate Laura Leap standing next to a  table with an envelope from Georgetown University.
 
The former second-team All-American opened the letter, which informed her she had been accepted to Georgetown's elite law school. Higgins would be moving to Washington, D.C. – which was one of her goals when she decided to pursue a law degree.
 
"I think that studying law in the nation's capital will give me a unique perspective," said Higgins, who begins attending Georgetown this fall and is the recipient of a Pac-12 Postgraduate Scholarship. "The Library of Congress is right down the street. All of the nation's laws are made right there. I think that will give me a different perspective than other law students."
 
Higgins said she wasn't expecting to receive an acceptance letter so early on in the application process, but the fact that she was notified on Inauguration Day wasn't lost on her.
 
"I don't know if that has any meaning," she said. "I think it's going to be such an interesting time, good or bad, for any law student to be in D.C. – differences of opinion, chances to debate them, interesting perspectives I'll probably come across."
 
Higgins was a CoSIDA Academic All-District first-team selection as a senior in 2014 before graduating with her degree in social welfare. She has spent the last couple of years working as a paralegal but is ready to start making a bigger impact, either as a policymaker or attorney.
 
"I liked the whole idea of taking a career path that would allow me to represent and advocate for those in need or marginalized populations," Higgins said. "I've always been interested in a career that allows me to seek fulfillment. I have this good background from Cal and a strong foundation there. I want to utilize it in a way where I can impact others. I really find fulfillment in helping others. I think being a policymaker would help me."
 
Higgins grew up in Inglewood near Los Angeles and while she said she was fortunate to have a positive upbringing, she all too often saw those around her suffering in need. That is what initially triggered her interest in impacting policy that assists the underserved.
 
"I wasn't necessarily affected by poverty, but it was all around me," Higgins said. "I always had this torn feeling – being in the community but not necessarily being affected like everyone else is. Just seeing that people's needs are not getting met – I just want to give back because I was luckily given the tools to potentially affect change."
 
Higgins said her initial plans are to try to impact change as a policymaker with an emphasis on public education, but hasn't ruled out becoming a trial attorney or a politician.
 
"I don't know if I can see myself as a politician just yet, but I think law school is a place where I can definitely grow," she said. "I don't know if I have the urge to be a politician, but if I find out along the way that it really sparks my interest and passions, I would be open to it. I'm definitely keeping an open mind."