ABOUT ME
A paralegal with a passion for public service
I am a Harry S. Truman Scholar and a senior at Georgetown University majoring in government with a minor in history. A proud first-generation, low-income, non-traditional student from Mobile, Alabama, I earned my GED, graduated summa cum laude from community college, and received a 1789 Scholarship to transfer to Georgetown University. Ultimately, I hope to go to law school and pursue a career as a public interest attorney and eventually run for public office.
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PUBLIC SERVICE
Serving as a 2018 Harry S. Truman Scholar and a member of the Montgomery County Committee on Hate/Violence
ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Expanding access to justice for low-income communities in civil cases involving basic human needs such as housing, health care and public benefits
CIVIL RIGHTS
Advocating for the interests of women, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, people of color, people with disabilities, immigrants and religious minorities
OP-ED IN THE WASHINGTON POST: We have a right to counsel in criminal cases. Why not in eviction cases?
“Our Constitution guarantees the right to an attorney to those accused of a crime, as upheld in the landmark Supreme Court case Gideon v. Wainwright. But for those at risk of losing their homes, there’s no such guarantee. That’s because Gideon covers only criminal cases, and eviction proceedings are a civil matter.”
READ ON WASHINGTONPOST.COM
EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
WASHINGTON, DC
Candidate for B.A., Estimated in May 2019
Major in Government, Minor in History
Concentrations in American Government & History
Honors & Awards: Harry S. Truman Scholar, 1789 Scholarship, Dean’s List
COASTAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
BAY MINETTE, ALABAMA
A.A.S., Major in Paralegal Studies, summa cum laude, Class of 2016
Honors & Awards: Paralegal Award for Outstanding Scholarship, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, President’s List
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION
WASHINGTON, DC
October 2017 – August 2018
Helped enforce the civil provisions of the federal laws that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
WASHINGTON, DC
June 2017 – August 2017
Served the residents of the District of Columbia under the Mayor Bowser administration
SKILLS
LEGAL RESEARCH & WRITING
Trained in WestLaw Next, LexisNexis Advance and Bluebook
LEGAL SUPPORT
Experienced in conducting client intake, drafting pleadings, e-filing, discovery and case management
PUBLIC POLICY
Tracked legislative bills, produced policy briefs, delivered testimony remarks and wrote opinion editorials
CONSTITUENT RELATIONS
Assisted staffers in reviewing and responding to constituent correspondence and updating case files in IQ and Salesforce
Blog
Op-Ed: We have a right to counsel in criminal cases. Why not in evictions?
I am incredibly excited to share that I’ve had an op-ed published in the Washington Post in print and online today on the need for a civil right to counsel[…]
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Op-Ed: Alabama hurts vulnerable citizens by refusing to expand Medicaid, imposing work requirements
This past month marked the 53rd anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. On July 30th, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation establishing the Medicare and Medicaid programs guaranteeing access to[…]
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Op-Ed: Alabama should ban gay and trans ‘panic’ defenses
Alabama’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has come a good way in only three years. In 2015, a federal judge in Mobile struck down the state’s ban on same-sex[…]
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“Don’t love the law. It will inevitably disappoint you. Understand that the law is a tool, a mechanism, a construct. . . American law today sometimes deserves respect, other times it deserves condemnation. It must always be obeyed, but it need not be admired. . . If you don’t love the law, what should you love? Love liberty. Love justice. Love the good that law can produce. Aspirations don’t disappoint, so long as you realize that the struggle for liberty, justice and anything else worth pursuing never stays won.”
– Alan M. Dershowitz, Letters to a Young Lawyer