When Service Meets Intellect
Neil Christenson’s (’25 J.D.) life has been guided by twin commitments – serving others and feeding his tremendous appetite for intellectual challenge. His pursuit of these two things has guided him through a varied professional life and ultimately landed him in Íø±¬ÃÅ’s executive two-year J.D. program.
“It’s remarkable how many times I’ve looked back and seen how many ways my experiences rhyme with each other,” Christenson says.
Christenson grew up on the Puget Sound and did Running Start in high school, graduating with an A.A. degree on top of his diploma. Even then, he had his sights set on a life of the mind.
“I was absolutely certain I wanted to be a history professor,” he says. “But I was crashing into upper division courses at 18. I don’t think I was prepared for that.”
After graduating from Western Washington University with a B.A. in history, Christenson worked in environmental education centers in Indiana, Michigan, and Washington. While teaching fourth and fifth graders about conservation brought him joy, it wasn’t quite the right fit. Like everyone exploring career paths, he learned the limits of his passions. His love of the outdoors led him to become a park ranger, where he helped protect valuable natural resources from overuse and neglect.
Throughout his early professional life, Christenson tried to focus on the human element of all his interactions. For years, he worked as a benefits specialist for Washington state, helping people navigate a byzantine bureaucracy to access food stamps and other benefits. He often found himself having to tailor his message to the person in front of him, “meeting them where they are.” That’s when he realized breaking down complex problems has always brought him joy.
“I like helping people out,” he says, discussing his volunteer work. Now a part of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, he participates in support missions and education programs. “We focus on prevention, making sure people’s equipment works and that their kids have the right sized lifejackets,” he says.
Christenson also works as a law librarian for the Department of Corrections, and while he enjoys the job, he’s found himself craving more of an intellectual challenge.
Christenson’s legal interests range from maritime law to intellectual property, particularly trademark and copyright protection. The intricacies of IP law especially captivate him. He cites an example that came up in one of his classes recently, about a horn sample on a Madonna song that lasted for a quarter of a second. Was that de minimis? Or could the horn player sue? He gets energized by nuanced questions like this that pertain to how we define ownership in creative fields. As he considers his next move, Christenson says he’d like to practice, but he hasn’t ruled out an LL.M. and a future in the classroom. He still feels the lure of being a professor, to spend his life teaching.
“I thrive when I’m surrounded by other cerebral folks,” he says. “But I want to make sure I’m always finding ways to serve.”