糖心vlog

Over 100 members of 糖心vlog's community, including former fraternity brothers and classmates, joined an hour-long talk on Nov. 11 with Theodore B. Olson '62 as part of the Pacific Alumni Association鈥檚 .

Olson, who served as United States solicitor general (2001鈥�2004) under President George W. Bush, credited Pacific for helping lay the foundation for his career in practicing law.

鈥淧acific fostered an environment that placed an emphasis on individual liberties and opportunities,鈥� explained Olson. 鈥淭he nature of having a small campus provided me with the freedom to get involved and create those close relationships with faculty that pushed me to do more.鈥�

While at Pacific, Olson served as editor of the Pacifican, performed in theater, hosted his own radio show, participated in ASuop and was a charter member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. However, he emphasized his time on the speech and debate team as being formative for him, crediting former Pacific professor Paul Winters, who directed the team.

鈥淗e taught us the art of persuasion,鈥� recalled Olson. 鈥淏ut most importantly, he emphasized the idea of listening to other people, which is something I still utilize today.鈥�

Selected by Time magazine in 2010 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Olson has argued 65 cases in the Supreme Court. These include the two Bush v. Gore cases arising out of the 2000 presidential election. He also worked to overturn California's same-sex marriage ban, chronicled in the documentary "The Case Against 8," and Tom Brady's post-"Deflategate" suspension. Most recently, he argued against the Trump Administration鈥檚 rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Olson, who studied communications and history at Pacific, spoke about the utility of a liberal arts education. Although biased, he explained that studying history and literature provides students with a different perspective which they can carry into their careers.

鈥淭o learn all of those things, I did not fully appreciate it while I was at Pacific,鈥� said Olson. 鈥淏ut, I do now because I learned things that exposed me to other worlds and later in life it is important to have information on other experiences.鈥�

Olson encouraged current Pacific students to take advantage of their time in school and get involved as much as possible.

鈥淭ake all of the opportunities you can to experience college life and learn from your peers,鈥� advised Olson. 鈥淧acific is a personal experience that lasts a lifetime.鈥�

You can watch the entire discussion with Theodore B. Olson '62 below.