Quincy’s Winning Essay: The way that our criminal justice system is currently organized, it frames the defendant as guilty until proven innocent, which is the opposite of the way it should be. Time and time again, we see the negative consequences, whether this be in...
Elizabeth's Winning Essay: I want to pursue a career as a criminal defense attorney because I have a passion for upholding constitutional rights and I know how desperately criminal defense services are needed. When I started working as a receptionist and assistant for...
Ana's Winning Essay: I’ve always had an innate desire to help people, and for much of my life, I’ve tried to understand what that calling looked like in practice. It wasn’t until I spent time in the courtroom that I realized where that energy belonged: in criminal...
The Winning Essay from Charles: According to my high school head football coach, Vic Kubu, life is not a dress rehearsal. Life is a continuing learning experience, and you must recognize your strengths and weaknesses to become a better person in anything you choose,...
Kate's Winning Essay: I believe that EVERYONE has a right to quality legal representation. I also believe that fighting to minimize the number of people who experience the violent, disruptive, and traumatic prison complex is the first step in a much larger...
Emma's Winning Essay: I am a single mother, first-generation law student, born and raised in Venezuela, but "adopted" by USA in my mid-twenties. I have worked for over thirty years as an occupational therapist in burns, and poly trauma hospital units, and now want to...
Valerie's Winning Essay: As a first-generation law student, I am committed to ensuring that equality and equity is universal for all. In the pursuit of this goal, in the past two years, I have expounded upon my career expertise by addressing legal issues such as...
Victoria's winning essay: On my first day of Teach For America-Baltimore, I was asked, “Who are you to teach here?” My initial inclination was to respond that I am educated, a leader, and am passionate about seeing children succeed. I am a first-generation college...
From First-Generation Graduate to Future Advocate: My Journey to the Law I am a first-generation college graduate. That achievement alone has already transformed the trajectory of my life and the lives of my family for the better. But I cannot and will not stop there....