On Memorial Day, we honor and give gratitude to the brave and selfless individuals who have proudly served our country.
This month, as we at 爱游戏体育 celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession, we wanted to share Laura鈥檚 story as an example of a legal professional who embodies a commitment to those values 鈥� and demonstrates the importance of making sure the doors of the legal system are open to all who seek justice.
Luisa Hernandez came to the United States from Venezuela with her family when she was 13. She didn鈥檛 speak English, lived in a low-income neighborhood, and attended a school that was struggling to meet its students鈥� needs. But a family role model helped her decide what she wanted to do with her life.
Derrick Sawyer made the decision to pursue a legal education later in life than most students do. For him, though, the desire to be a lifelong learner just comes naturally.
On this Veterans Day, as we salute those who serve or have served, we want to share Valentina鈥檚 story as an example of how military enlistment can play a vital role in achieving a law degree 鈥� and, in turn, help diversify the legal profession and make justice accessible for all.
n a previous blog post, we told you about how one student started her journey into the world of law via an event sponsored by the Law School Admission Council under its Diversity Matters grant program. Today, we share more stories of students who come from diverse backgrounds, but were able to discover that a legal education was within reach for them.
Abyan Gurase knew where she wanted to go; she just didn鈥檛 know how to get there. 鈥淚 always knew I wanted to go to law school,鈥� says Gurase, who was born in Somalia and came to the United States as a refugee when she was a young child. 鈥淏ut maybe back then, I didn鈥檛 know what it meant to be a lawyer.鈥�
Today I am thrilled to introduce Flor Gonzalez, a 3L student at Chapman University鈥檚 Dale E. Fowler School of Law in California. Like Kendeil Dorvilier and Mamadou Jawo, Flor is already committed to doing work in the legal field that will advance equity, access, and diversity across our society.
This week I鈥檓 pleased to introduce Mamadou Jawo, whose journey to law school at the University of Wisconsin began in his childhood, in West Africa. There, one day after school, he went to see his father at the police station where his father worked, and what he saw there became a cornerstone in his dream of becoming a lawyer.
One of the biggest challenges I face in leading the Law School Admission Council is also one of the most rewarding parts of my job: advancing access and equity through law and legal education. While the challenge comes from the structural inequities in society that only grow deeper without keen vigilance and productive action, the reward comes from working with our member schools and others who join in 爱游戏体育鈥檚 mission to 鈥渂end the arc鈥� toward justice.
