#FutureFordhamLawyers Pave Their Own Paths

“Growing up as a Black woman with parents who are immigrants—my mom from Jamaica, my dad from Ghana—I was always hyperaware of the different societal and systemic issues in our country and around the world. I felt studying the law, particularly international human rights law, would be the best way to tackle some of those issues.

“During my 2L year, I enrolled in the semester-long Walter Leitner International Human Rights Clinic and, as a Crowley Scholar, researched the collapse of the rule of law in Hong Kong. I was working on real, evolving, present-day issues, which culminated in a report that was submitted to the UN Human Rights Committee’s periodic review of Hong Kong’s human rights record. The classes I took and the programs I participated in last year were the perfect springboard for me to pursue my passions through a double-degree program this year in France—an opportunity that has definitely opened doors for me professionally.”

“I’ve always had this motivation and drive to push myself; that’s one of the many reasons why I’m in law school. Seeing my dad do the Lake Placid Ironman this past summer—at age 50-plus—renewed that athletic, competitive sense in me. I wanted to do something similar and try to push myself, while also providing some stress relief during law school. So, I decided to enter the New York City Marathon.

“I feel like training for the marathon has also been preparing me for the work world. I have classes during the week, so I have to wake up a bit earlier and make sure I get my workout and training in, and then I have to devote the rest of the day to my academics and ensuring I’m up to snuff on all my assignments, readings, and classes. It’s made me really work on my time-management skills to stay on top of both my physical training and my academics.”

“I’ve been a compliance officer at Goldman Sachs here in New York for the past year and a half, supporting more than 200 bankers across six countries and covering several businesses in Latin America and all of our corporate derivatives sales in the Americas. I decided to apply to Fordham Law’s in-person M.S.L. program in Corporate Compliance because I wanted to couple the challenging work I was doing in my day job with academic work that would encourage me to keep learning new things. I can confidently say that I’ve been able to take what I’m learning in class and apply it to my work in the compliance field—which has been really rewarding.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Fordham Law for taking a chance on me and naming me one of the recipients of the Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Scholarship. I’m so grateful to the Law School and to the trustees of the Geneen Foundation for their investment in me and my higher education. That generosity is something I hope to pay back in the future.”

“I started my career working in PR and corporate communications, working at companies such as ESPN and Guinness Book of World Records. But, after almost 10 years, I was laid off during the pandemic, and things just kind of hit reset. I felt like I was stalling on my potential and that I could do more. And the uprisings for racial justice and everything else that was happening in 2020 gave me the push I needed to start law school. I wanted to help do something and make a change.

“I was part of the first cohort of REAL Scholars last year, and its impact on my legal education is invaluable. I’m so grateful to the program because it stripped away my fears and insecurities about law school. After my first year, I decided I still wanted to be involved with the program as a REAL Scholars peer mentor, to help those who were in the same position I was last year. So many times, we’re afraid to start something because we might fail. My advice would be to not stand in your own way and just go for it.”

“Growing up in a family that served in the military, I felt it was my destiny to do the same. Despite originally being medically disqualified, I joined the Marine Corps in 2015. I became an infantry officer, deploying twice to the Middle East, including once to Afghanistan.

“I didn’t know exactly what would be next for me when I returned home in 2019, but it’s since, in part, become law school. I had always been very curious about the law, government, and individuals’ rights, and Fordham Law’s ‘in the service of others’ mission was certainly something I connected with. I’m curious to discover how I can eventually use my law degree to do some good in the world.

“But, more important, I want to be a good husband and a good father to my baby girl. Being away from my family during my deployments made me realize just how important it is to be in the present moment.”