Wow, I cannot believe it has been FIVE years since I have graduated from law school. I was hooded on 12 December 2015 and I officially graduated on 14 December 2015. I fought so hard to have this monumental moment in my life. However, this was not possible without my village, whom was an incredible support system throughout this journey and I am thankful for them.
Law School was a major dream of mine since I was younger. I always believed in advocating on behalf of others and pursuing justice. I have always had a heart to serve and help others.
However, law school almost did not happen. The second semester of my junior year of college, I became pregnant. I remember the exact moment I saw that positive pregnancy test; 20 years old, scared, and feeling like my life was over. I was also in a very abusive relationship that emotionally depleted me. (I will go into my pregnancy journey and single motherhood one day with a separate blog post). Eventually, I went home to my mother, who already knew I was pregnant before I could even tell her.
I was stunned at how she knew when I was only six weeks and not showing. However, I soon learn that “Mama’s always know.” My parents stepped up and helped me care for my son, as long as I did my part. We made a plan and my parents kept their word, and I kept mine.
After graduating from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University magna cum laude in May 2012 and taking a gap year, I enrolled into The University of South Carolina School of Law in the Fall of 2013. I blogged about my law school experience in a separate post, here.
The hardest part of this process was not seeing my son Jailen everyday. However, we spent a lot of time on FaceTime and I spent most weekends driving 6 hours home to Virginia to see him as much as possible. It was hard leaving him after those weekends together. It never got easier. Every chance I had a break or long weekend, I would get him. Jailen was my motivation to keep going, set goals, and remind myself that this was for him and our future.
I was fortunate to graduate law school a semester early in December 2015. I worked very hard to push through my classes to achieve this goal, and I was successful. This was only possible because of God and my village. The overflowing joy that I felt in that moment is indescribable and surreal.
14 December 2015 is a day I will always remember.
Although I knew the Bar exam would be my next monster to tackle, in that very moment, all I could do was hug my son and cry.
When I look back at all the accomplishments and the sacrifices made, I believe that they were worth it. To be able to provide a better life and amazing opportunities for my son made every single hard decision worth it. I prayed, wrote my vision and made it plain, and manifested everything that I wanted.
We did it again. Just like we did in college, we made it through law school. God keeps all promises, and it’s only up from here, kid.
Left: NCAT 12 May 2012 Right: USC Law 14 Dec 2015
At 30, I am still a young lawyer in my profession. I have accomplished some incredible things during these past five years.
Some of these things include receiving a judicial clerkship (which are extremely competitive) and winning my first jury trial (and the first jury trial my previous unit took to court). Also, I am now a SVU Prosecutor for the Attorney General’s Office. I seriously love my career. The work that I do is rewarding and I genuinely happy in my practice area. I have incredible mentors who help pave the way for me in my career.
Additionally, I am on the Board of Editors for the SC Lawyer Magazine, which I am grateful to be apart of. I am active in my local South Carolina Bar. As far as the American Bar Association, I was a 2019-2020 Young Lawyers Division Diversity Scholar where I helped author the 2020 White Paper. This year, I am one of the Vice Directors for Diversity and Inclusion. I am active with various committees within the ABA and have helped put on several programs and webinars. I have so much more I want to accomplish as an attorney and I am excited to see what God has in store for my career.
Lastly, during these last five years, I met the love of my life, Roy, about two weeks after taking the bar exam. Talk about God’s perfect and divine timing. Roy is a big supporter of my career. I am so grateful for his dedication and constant cheering me on as I accomplish my goals.
Cheers to the next five years. I cannot wait to see what goals I smash by 2025!
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Great READ, very inspiring. God has a plan for all of us. Love this. Keep pushing forward :).
So proud of you and your accomplishments.
Thank you so much for reading and your encouraging words. I appreciate your support!
I’m am so very proud of you and I see so much more in your future. I know without a shadow of a doubt you are capable of any opportunity that comes your way. The sky is your limit so just aim for it!
Thank you!!!
I’m am so very proud of you! You never cease to amaze me. You are goal oriented, on target with endeavors and you are mindful of your purpose in life.
Let’s see what the next five years will bring!
Thank you so much for your amazing and kind words! I appreciate you!
Great! Now let’s see what the next five years bring. So proud of you !
I am so excited for the next five years! Thank you for reading!