WCU alumnus Julian Manrique shines as law school grad, attorney
By Cam Adams
After taking some challenging chemistry classes, Julian Manrique decided to reconsider his major. He was a biology major with a concentration in pre-dental, but following some thinking, the curious 甜瓜视频app student switched over to business administration and law.
He fell in love with it.
Manrique had his eyes set on spending his career around a dental chair his freshman year, but now, as an attorney at Portner and Shure, P.A. in Raleigh, he鈥檚 spending it around the courtroom.
鈥淚 think Western鈥檚 environment really allowed me to thrive because I had some time to figure it out, which was really nice,鈥� Manrique said. 鈥淭he way it happened, it just really worked out, and Western provided some great professors who we still keep in touch with everything going on.鈥�
Manrique, a 2019 WCU graduate, completed his doctor of law degree from Campbell University鈥檚 Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law last May. During his time at Campbell, Manrique earned a North Carolina Advocates for Justice Student Advocacy Award.
Since then, he鈥檚 worked as an attorney at another law firm in Raleigh before taking his current position in January.
At Portner and Shure, P.A., Manrique is an immigration attorney also doing criminal defense and personal injury. When Manrique changed his major, he didn鈥檛 imagine going into a career in law, but after taking a few law classes at WCU, he became more and more invested.
鈥淚 really love that they do that program like that because normally, it鈥檚 just a business administration and then it was like law, but they have it together,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 probably would鈥檝e not picked the law one had it just been an option by itself, but because it was together, I had to take it.鈥�
Over five years after his time in Cullowhee, the Coral Springs, Florida native remains pretty involved at his alma mater. He serves as a Leaders in Action Mentor for leadership minor students at WCU, and he鈥檚 also served as a first-gen alumni panelist.
Manrique never thought he would be in a spot to be a mentor, but looking back at where he was in his undergraduate days, he knows the help he gives is valuable.
鈥淔or me, it's kind of just bridging that gap,鈥� Manrique said. 鈥淥ne thing that I really like to do is, even with the mentee I have now, like yeah, I'm an attorney, but I'm also just a regular guy. There's a whole idea that you have to be different because you're in some profession and act a certain way, but ultimately, I just want to help those like a normal person would.
鈥淚t just calls me to help back because Western gave me,鈥� he later added. 鈥淟ike I said, I still talk to professors even up until now, so Western provided me with that kind of resource.鈥�
