Interestingly enough, I wasn’t a huge believer in academics in the past. Throughout middle and high school, I was habitually truant, which resulted in 6 straight years of the juvenile court placing me on community control. In my eyes, I was a 3-sport athlete who worked about 20 hours a week and maintained at least a 3.0. I set the bar below where I should have, but since I was meeting it, I took my education for granted. I also was disruptive in class, frequently speaking out over the teachers. Throughout high school, I’d be removed from class or moved to the back, and I lacked accountability. I did have a teacher or two every year who looked out for me though. 7th grade was Ms. Hodgins, 8th grade was Ms. Lemaster, 9th grade was Ms. Beller, 10th was Mr. Powalski, 11th was Ms. Forsell, and 12th was my English teach. I remember them because I still interact with most of them on Facebook, but I also just appreciated them for everything they did, whether it was being real with me or giving me a bit more leniency than I probably deserved. I also had some coaches who knew about my home life and supported me regardless of my poor attitude or inconsistency. My track coach was the one who inspired me to consider college athletics as a possibility and eventually helped me pursue that. In college, I kept this same poor attitude about academics. My main priority was track, so I didn’t set high academic goals for myself. I completed my Bachelor’s in Political Science and Sports Management with a 2.79 GPA, gave half-effort on my large 18-month final research project, and overall just wanted to get to the end.
Currently, I’m in the beginning portion of my final semester of law school and I can proudly say my mindset and appreciation for academics have vastly improved. I began the journey with a goal of no C’s. After a mediocre undergraduate performance, and with law school being significantly harder, I knew this wouldn’t be easy. But, with only about 12 weeks of school left, I am very close to achieving this goal. I love how much I’ve been able to learn through school, and the insights I’ve gained from the people I interact with. Controlling my perspective on the importance and purpose of education was a foundational piece of my ability to succeed. Law school has allowed me to learn more about many things you wouldn’t necessarily think about, like constitutional rights and privacy in a modern world. The limits to what you can learn are set mostly by yourself, and what you make of the opportunities. Law school has also required me to think critically to properly analyze hard legal issues and understand them. Beyond the traditional schooling aspect, law school has allowed me to intern in a federal courthouse under Magistrate Judge Carmen Henderson of Ohio’s Northern District. She is one of the few judges I’ve interacted with who I admire because she embodies what a good judge can do for the judiciary. She is a strong black mother who maintains a high level of respect for the people who entered her courtroom and the issues that are brought before her. Finally, I am currently enrolled in a legal clinic that has the privilege of helping Ohio felons receive pardons, certificates of qualified employment, and other things which will enable them to enter back into society with their rights fully restored. A big problem with having a felony criminal record is the limits it can place on your ability to carry on with life, even decades after the offenses are done and time has been served. I have two clients for who I am currently working on getting Expedited Pardons from the Ohio Governor, and I believe both have a high likelihood of having their full rights restored within the coming year.
In the future, I plan to stay involved with athletics and find a way to mesh all the things I’ve learned and experienced together. I love sports, I enjoy politics, and I love all the things law school has opened me up to. My long-term goal is to work in the professional sports world as a sports agent or for a sports organization. In the immediate future, I plan to expose myself to the world of College Athletics and Compliance. In addition to this, I want to instill hope in there being more for people from my high school who are less privileged. If I told 14-year-old me about today, I don’t know that I’d believe myself. Much of this didn’t feel attainable. But it is. I can only imagine the number of kids with similar experiences, and a lack of hope. I think I can help to encourage people to set higher goals and achieve them, not just academically but through the larger aspects of life as well. I appreciate being selected for this award and everything REAL stands for. Thank you!
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