St. Elmo's Fire Anonymous

As a child, I was obsessed with 80’s movies. I admired Ferris Bueller’s infectious charisma and fearless confidence. I dreamed of having my own Jake Ryan waiting outside the church, grinning an impish smile while standing by his cool red Porsche. I pitied poor Duckie who never got the girl, and rooted for Lloyd when he gained the courage to serenade his, albeit from a stereo. One movie in particular that I was always drawn to was St. Elmo’s Fire. Because I was young, I didn’t fully understand the conflicts that the characters faced. I only admired them, and dreamed of one day having a life like theirs. The movie begins on the characters’ graduation day from college. All seven of them are celebrating, hopeful and enthusiastic about the bright futures ahead of them. They seemed so grown-up, so successful and admirable. I knew from then on that I wanted to be like them.

I, much like Judd Nelson’s character Alec, have always been drawn to the field of law. His character always struck a chord with me, because he was an up-and-coming yuppie, hoping for a job in politics. I was awed by him -- by his intelligent and cool demeanor. I wanted nothing more than to one day be like him, to have his job, his opportunities. For different...