WEBVTT - Bonus: Life as a 1L 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:02.880 Class Action is a production of I Heart Radio and 0:00:03.000 --> 0:00:09.280 Sound Argument. Just as a quick hello, I'd like to 0:00:09.720 --> 0:00:13.840 welcome everyone back to class Action and uh my partner 0:00:13.920 --> 0:00:18.840 Lisa Gray and our special guests tonight are A Maya 0:00:18.960 --> 0:00:24.080 and La Jane, formerly of the Diller team and now 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:29.040 first year law students. So let's start with you. Where 0:00:29.080 --> 0:00:35.159 are you and how is school? I am currently a 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:38.600 one l at you see Hastings. That name might change 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:42.080 very soon, but that's where I currently am right now 0:00:42.560 --> 0:00:46.640 in San Francisco, California. What why will the name change? 0:00:47.080 --> 0:00:49.880 They did a background check on the person were named after, 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:53.960 and he was very instrumental in genocides of the UK people, 0:00:54.200 --> 0:00:57.960 which is an indigenous tribe in California, so they want 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:01.360 to get rid of the name Hastings. But now his 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.240 family is suing the institution and asking for the money 0:01:05.280 --> 0:01:08.959 he put down with over like a hundred year interests, 0:01:09.000 --> 0:01:11.640 So they're asking for about a good like three million 0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:16.240 dollars from us, which we don't have an auspicious beginning 0:01:16.840 --> 0:01:19.760 for your first year, but good for the researchers out 0:01:19.800 --> 0:01:24.360 there to dig this up. That's great. And amya, where 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.080 are you and what year are you in? Just kind 0:01:27.080 --> 0:01:32.640 of let's fill in our audience. Yes, So I'm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.160 I am currently a one ll at Harvard Law. How 0:01:36.160 --> 0:01:39.480 would you describe Boston, you know, now that you spent 0:01:39.560 --> 0:01:42.760 a little time there, or Cambridge. What what's it been 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:46.039 like for you as the first year. I don't know 0:01:46.080 --> 0:01:49.880 that I've even experienced it to the fullest. Um. I'm 0:01:49.960 --> 0:01:53.840 usually on campus most of the time. UM, I will say, 0:01:53.880 --> 0:01:56.520 I try to set aside like two days of the 0:01:56.600 --> 0:01:59.960 month where I like go out and treat myself to something, 0:02:00.000 --> 0:02:03.640 and so I'm trying to find places to eat. Um. 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.200 But it's definitely not necessarily a culture shock because I 0:02:06.280 --> 0:02:08.520 knew what I was getting myself into. But it is 0:02:08.560 --> 0:02:11.120 a lot different from where I grew up in Florida 0:02:11.320 --> 0:02:14.079 and also where I went to school, which was New Orleans. 0:02:14.160 --> 0:02:20.000 So and you're you're back in the hometown. How's that going. 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:26.680 It's going pretty well. I'm used to everything around here already, 0:02:26.760 --> 0:02:30.040 so I'm back by family. I'm happy to be back. 0:02:30.120 --> 0:02:33.120 But at the same time, like you know, I do 0:02:33.240 --> 0:02:35.480 miss New Orleans just a little bit, not too much, 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:42.440 just a little bit. Leg What was your first class, um, 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:45.040 and what was it like you know, UM, when you 0:02:45.200 --> 0:02:49.040 when you walked in to describe that for us. So 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:55.680 my first class was crim pro So Criminal Procedure and 0:02:56.560 --> 0:02:59.640 Hastings has a thing where you choose your seats prior, 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:03.720 so I didn't have to get there an hour early 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:05.959 to try to get a good seat. I just had 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:09.720 to like do a little selection thing on canvas. It 0:03:10.200 --> 0:03:12.880 was fine, like they just jumped right into it. There's 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:17.080 no just things as a syllabus class here. They're like, okay, 0:03:17.280 --> 0:03:20.280 so here are the elements of a crime. Now let's 0:03:20.320 --> 0:03:23.000 go through it. I said, oh, okay, let me get 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:27.840 my notebook out. The same to you, am Iya. I 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:31.160 know I talked to you when you had visited UM, 0:03:31.160 --> 0:03:34.600 but if you could walk us through like that first day, 0:03:34.920 --> 0:03:38.400 you know on campus when you're going to your first class, 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:41.240 what was that like to sort of paint that picture 0:03:41.320 --> 0:03:44.600 for us, and you know what was the class? And yeah, 0:03:44.640 --> 0:03:48.680 So my first class was Legislation and Regulation. You know, 0:03:48.920 --> 0:03:51.520 it was eight am, so I wasn't fully there yet. 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:53.360 So I don't I don't know that I have too 0:03:53.440 --> 0:03:55.880 much to offer, but I will say I don't know. 0:03:55.920 --> 0:03:58.320 I was I guess I was expecting like my professor 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:01.040 to introduce himself for something. Hi, my name is but 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.200 he just as soon as the class started he started 0:04:04.200 --> 0:04:06.720 talking about the case. So that caught me off guard 0:04:06.760 --> 0:04:08.840 a little bit. But other than that, like he's a 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:11.880 fabulous professor. I do remember I got my first cold 0:04:11.920 --> 0:04:15.240 call that day during my last class and property, and 0:04:15.320 --> 0:04:20.279 he asked me a question that wasn't necessarily in the reading, 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:23.560 and so I'm flipping through my notes like did I 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.320 miss something? Like I'm freaking out, but it was just 0:04:26.360 --> 0:04:29.960 like one of those jokey type of questions and I 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:32.840 wasn't expecting that. So I'm over here like thinking I'm 0:04:32.880 --> 0:04:36.000 about to burst out in tears, but it was fine. 0:04:36.000 --> 0:04:37.599 It ended up being fine, and that's actually one of 0:04:37.600 --> 0:04:39.679 my favorite classes now. But yeah, I was the first 0:04:39.680 --> 0:04:44.039 person called in that class, and I'll never forget it. 0:04:46.040 --> 0:04:48.880 You mentioned criminal procedure. What are some of the other 0:04:49.120 --> 0:04:52.560 courses that you're taking from My first semester, I take 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:56.640 Criminal Procedure towards and Civil Procedure, and then I have 0:04:56.680 --> 0:04:59.720 a legal research and writing class where I learned how 0:04:59.720 --> 0:05:04.080 to write memos. So that's my first semester, and then 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:09.520 my second semester I have to take contracts, property, legal 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:14.840 writing and research and um a statutory class or constitutional 0:05:16.279 --> 0:05:19.600 You know, in what ways did Dillard in the mock 0:05:19.680 --> 0:05:23.200 trial team prepare you for those? Guys? I can see 0:05:23.240 --> 0:05:26.800 you as criminal procedure because obviously this is some of 0:05:26.800 --> 0:05:29.000 the stuff that you know you you got to know 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:32.160 cold through mock trial. But for some of these contract 0:05:32.240 --> 0:05:35.080 classes and other things like that, what was the prep 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:38.039 like that you know? Our is this all kind of 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.400 new to you? Um? I wouldn't say it's new. I 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:44.360 would just say it puts things into a different perspective. 0:05:44.800 --> 0:05:47.200 When you guys followed us last year, we were doing 0:05:47.240 --> 0:05:50.039 a criminal case, but me and Maya have had two 0:05:50.360 --> 0:05:53.719 civil cases under our belt with AMPTA, so we've done 0:05:53.760 --> 0:05:59.039 towards before. We have had experience in doing towards and 0:05:59.240 --> 0:06:02.440 um trying to find whether defending is liable or not 0:06:02.560 --> 0:06:05.039 liable through the use of negligence. So I was fine 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:09.560 with that per se. But there really isn't anything else 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.120 besides knowing how to talk in front of people and 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:18.599 just knowing how to answer questions your honor opposing counsel. 0:06:19.200 --> 0:06:23.279 Members of the journey, May it please the court follow 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:29.000 the Hoodies. On August one, j Len Williams, a Midlands 0:06:29.000 --> 0:06:32.640 Center firefighter, heard the alarms of the fire station ringing, 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:35.960 meaning that it was time for him to once again 0:06:36.200 --> 0:06:40.440 risk his life. With no second thought and no hesitation, 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.599 he grabbed his gear and rushed onto the fire truck. 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:48.560 And unfortunately you will learn that that search and rescue 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:53.159 mission did end in one cavity, and on that very day, 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:58.400 Midland's lost a hero and a citizen the most important, 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:09.440 a family lost. Suns Beyond loss, j willis back to you, amya. 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:11.840 Just give us a sense of some of the other 0:07:11.920 --> 0:07:15.760 courses that you're taking. Yeah, I'm basically taking the inverse 0:07:15.760 --> 0:07:18.320 of what Legen is taking. I think the only class 0:07:18.360 --> 0:07:22.960 we share is SIV PRO and um LRW Legal Research 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:25.720 and Writing. Um, so I'm taking those two, and I'm 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:29.880 also taking Contracts, property and leg RIG. I think for me, 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:33.800 material wise, property might be my favorite class, followed by 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:36.640 SIV PRO because I think I do have some experience 0:07:36.680 --> 0:07:39.880 there and for me because I was our Urban Studies 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:43.360 in Public Policy major. Right now, um, we're learning about 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:45.640 mortgages and just like a week or so ago, we 0:07:45.640 --> 0:07:49.400 were talking about urban renewal or negro removal, and in 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:51.320 my head I'm like, oh my gosh, me and Dr Trevor, 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:53.760 we're talking about this. So I do get a little 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:58.720 bit excited there because I understand it, and this class 0:07:58.800 --> 0:08:01.240 kind of gives a different layer of context and I 0:08:01.360 --> 0:08:05.520 kind of can think about the implications in my community, 0:08:05.880 --> 0:08:08.520 and so I appreciate when, you know, my professors do that. 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:11.760 And as far as sif PRO, I think basically me 0:08:11.840 --> 0:08:14.320 and Logen a kind of had a really good briefing 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:18.600 to sif PRO because we worked for Hamilton Lewis, which 0:08:18.680 --> 0:08:21.120 is a black owned law firm in New Orleans, and 0:08:21.320 --> 0:08:24.120 Rashawn Hamilton are boss. Shout out to her. She must 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.160 have thought she was our sif PRO professor because she 0:08:26.200 --> 0:08:30.920 had us writing petitions, motions, discovery and so when like 0:08:31.000 --> 0:08:33.920 that stuff pops up in my class, I get so excited, 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:36.839 Like I'm looking at my old folder at my stuff 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:39.679 to try to better understand it, because before I was 0:08:39.720 --> 0:08:41.840 just kind of going through the motions because that's what 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:43.839 she told me to do, and that what she said 0:08:44.160 --> 0:08:47.080 lawyers did, and I had the rules and stuff, but 0:08:47.120 --> 0:08:49.760 I didn't understand the justification in the years of history 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:51.839 and cases that got us to that point. I was 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:55.400 going through the motion. So now having that background makes 0:08:55.400 --> 0:08:57.559 it a little bit more exciting. I'm not gonna say 0:08:57.600 --> 0:09:01.199 that it's the easiest class, because it's not, but just 0:09:01.400 --> 0:09:04.120 like having some familiarity to hold onto, I think has 0:09:04.160 --> 0:09:08.440 been helpful so far. Have there been any doubts about 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:13.520 going to law school or has it fulfilled the expectations 0:09:13.559 --> 0:09:19.720 that you were anticipating going into these programs. I think 0:09:19.760 --> 0:09:24.840 there was more fear before I got here. And I'll say, 0:09:25.240 --> 0:09:27.040 first of all, I'm glad, like I'm grateful for the 0:09:27.080 --> 0:09:29.120 experiences that I've had because I think I'm in a 0:09:29.280 --> 0:09:34.559 much better place now because of that. I hope I'm 0:09:34.559 --> 0:09:37.079 making sense of this, But basically, I've dealt with imposture 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:42.520 syndrome for years, anxiety for years. But through summer programs 0:09:42.559 --> 0:09:46.000 that you know, during undergrad or through mock trial, or 0:09:46.120 --> 0:09:51.160 just through my professor's really supporting me, my parents, I think, 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:53.520 not necessarily that that got rid of all of my 0:09:53.640 --> 0:09:56.720 issues or anything, but it equipped me for you know, 0:09:56.880 --> 0:10:00.000 this space. I could be having a million breakdowns a day, 0:10:00.240 --> 0:10:02.000 and of course there are tough moments. I've had a 0:10:02.040 --> 0:10:05.080 couple of tears here and there, but I think just 0:10:06.120 --> 0:10:09.480 I've been trained to lean on God and family, and 0:10:10.520 --> 0:10:12.800 I'm not in the place that I thought I would be. 0:10:12.840 --> 0:10:15.400 In fact, like, I'll go to class and there are 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:17.480 some days where I'm bored. I'm not gonna lie, but 0:10:17.559 --> 0:10:20.880 there are other times where I'm just so excited to 0:10:20.920 --> 0:10:22.880 be there and learn. And that's something that I used 0:10:22.880 --> 0:10:25.520 to feel like as a kid, like learning about history 0:10:25.600 --> 0:10:28.280 or something like that, just like I genuinely liked school, 0:10:28.320 --> 0:10:31.040 and that's obviously what I'm here today. But I felt 0:10:31.080 --> 0:10:34.120 like not all of my classes at Dillard, of course, 0:10:34.240 --> 0:10:36.760 but you know, as I have finished my major courses 0:10:36.760 --> 0:10:38.840 and I just was like taking electives here or there, 0:10:39.200 --> 0:10:41.920 I lost kind of that excitement. And then, of course, 0:10:42.000 --> 0:10:45.440 with my priority for a lot of the time being 0:10:45.520 --> 0:10:49.680 mock trial, I didn't allow myself room to grow in 0:10:49.720 --> 0:10:52.400 a lot of areas. And I think here I get 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:57.000 that childlike feeling back, and I'm just you know, excite, 0:10:57.040 --> 0:10:59.120 like my brain is a sponge. And I thought I 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:01.520 was gonna go in here that coming straight from college, 0:11:01.559 --> 0:11:03.120 I thought it was gonna be dried up and that 0:11:03.240 --> 0:11:06.200 I couldn't abdure any more information. But that's definitely not 0:11:06.240 --> 0:11:09.800 the case for me. I think we went into this 0:11:09.880 --> 0:11:12.720 knowing it was gonna be very difficult. I can't even 0:11:12.760 --> 0:11:16.040 count how many times, like when I've told somebody whether 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:18.760 it was like a pre law director Dillard, or like 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:22.240 I asked another like person who I knew who went 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:24.720 to law school is currently in law school. They were like, 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:27.839 law school is extremely hard? Law school is this law school? 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:29.840 Is that? I didn't really hear any nice things about 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:34.120 law school, so I came into it. You know, it's 0:11:34.120 --> 0:11:36.280 gonna be really difficult. It's not going to be the 0:11:36.320 --> 0:11:39.560 easiest thing. So you just kind of have to, you know, 0:11:39.640 --> 0:11:43.400 manage your expectations and just be like, look, it's it's 0:11:43.400 --> 0:11:46.360 gonna be getting ready, getting right to work. It's just 0:11:46.800 --> 0:11:50.480 all about managing your expectations. But I feel like, like 0:11:50.600 --> 0:11:52.360 I knew I came here, I had a job to do, 0:11:52.840 --> 0:11:54.480 and I got people that are counting on me to 0:11:54.520 --> 0:11:57.559 complete that job. So I'm a dude, what needs to 0:11:57.559 --> 0:12:03.320 be done? What is the hardest part for me? At least, 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:07.200 I think the hardest part is just like running off 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:10.320 a very little sleep, because on mine, I can tell you, 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:12.320 like I love to take a nice nap. I used 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:14.960 to take naps every day. I scheduled in a nap 0:12:15.040 --> 0:12:18.760 every single day. I wake up at like six thirty 0:12:18.920 --> 0:12:22.000 every day and I don't go to sleep until like two. 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:28.080 So it's it's very tiring, it's very exhausting, and you're 0:12:28.160 --> 0:12:32.640 expected to digest all of this information off a very 0:12:32.800 --> 0:12:36.480 little sleep and very little food and a whole bunch 0:12:36.520 --> 0:12:39.400 of coffee. I did. I did not used to drink coffee. 0:12:39.400 --> 0:12:42.800 Now I drink coffee every day. It's just the hardest 0:12:42.840 --> 0:12:46.160 part is just like balancing taking care of yourself and 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.880 taking care of business. I kind of have to second 0:12:49.960 --> 0:12:53.160 that it's not necessarily that much of a thing for 0:12:53.160 --> 0:12:57.080 me this time around, because knows, there's been moments where 0:12:57.080 --> 0:13:00.800 I've been passing out getting sick because as a mock trial, 0:13:01.320 --> 0:13:03.800 and so I just had it beat into me that 0:13:03.840 --> 0:13:06.080 I needed to start taking care of myself. And now 0:13:06.120 --> 0:13:09.559 I'm just now starting to do it. So the least 0:13:09.559 --> 0:13:11.920 amount of sleep I'll allow myself to have is like 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:14.720 six hours. I'm trying to take care of myself. I 0:13:14.720 --> 0:13:17.880 think for me though, the worst part about it, and 0:13:17.920 --> 0:13:21.280 I think Logen could agree with this. We're kind of perfectionists, 0:13:21.720 --> 0:13:25.120 and I think even if we're not immediately good at something. 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:29.040 We train ourselves until the thing that scares us the 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.280 most is what we're the best at. So like, even 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.760 with objections, there was times like in high school, I 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.240 never objected. I might respond well to it, but I 0:13:37.640 --> 0:13:40.880 wouldn't have, you know, the guts to just object if 0:13:40.920 --> 0:13:43.680 I didn't think of all of the twelve arguments that 0:13:43.760 --> 0:13:47.240 might come after that objection. And I just beat that 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:49.880 into me until you know, I got it right and 0:13:49.920 --> 0:13:53.319 it didn't become It's not perfect now, but I didn't 0:13:53.360 --> 0:13:57.640 get to be a Maya by you know, not practicing, 0:13:57.720 --> 0:14:00.640 and it took me all throughout college to get there. 0:14:01.320 --> 0:14:05.160 And with this, like, we have so little time in 0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:07.800 the day that you have to kind of decide, Okay, 0:14:07.800 --> 0:14:10.920 am I gonna give this time to myself and rest 0:14:11.200 --> 0:14:14.040 and for me, I'm I'm religious. Am I gonna read 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.280 the Bible during this one hour free time? Am I 0:14:16.360 --> 0:14:19.920 gonna go to the gym? Am I gonna read whatever 0:14:20.000 --> 0:14:22.840 cases I have that I haven't finished for tomorrow? Am 0:14:22.880 --> 0:14:25.040 I gonna do some additional work and look at old 0:14:25.040 --> 0:14:28.080 tests and try to figure out how I would solve 0:14:28.120 --> 0:14:31.320 the problems on the test. And it's it's difficult trying 0:14:31.320 --> 0:14:34.400 to find and prioritize your time in that way. And 0:14:34.440 --> 0:14:37.800 I'm a very organized person with my planner and stuff 0:14:37.800 --> 0:14:41.120 like that, but even just choosing not to do a 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.520 reading is such a big thing. And then now I 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:47.840 feel like I'm behind. And I also feel like because 0:14:47.880 --> 0:14:50.880 I didn't necessarily get full credit on this one assignment, 0:14:50.920 --> 0:14:53.480 that means I don't understand it, when in reality, this 0:14:53.520 --> 0:14:55.920 is something that I've been doing for years at a 0:14:55.960 --> 0:14:58.920 law firm and I do understand it. I just can't 0:14:59.000 --> 0:15:01.840 fully flesh out my argument. And as I'm talking now, 0:15:01.880 --> 0:15:04.840 I'm realizing that that's not a new problem. Like I've 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:08.240 understood concepts in mock trial, but it took me a 0:15:08.280 --> 0:15:11.200 long time to fully flesh out that argument and understand 0:15:11.800 --> 0:15:15.120 or get other people to understand why I was right. 0:15:15.280 --> 0:15:17.560 I think I just have to apply that same type 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:21.120 of practice to my work here. So yeah, just saying 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:23.560 that out loud kind of makes me feel better. But 0:15:23.880 --> 0:15:27.960 I think just allowing myself room to grow and understanding 0:15:28.000 --> 0:15:31.200 that it's not gonna come overnight it's still hard though. 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:36.760 Definitely they want you to forget that their family is 0:15:36.800 --> 0:15:38.760 counting on us to do what's just They want you 0:15:38.800 --> 0:15:41.800 to forget that their family wakes up every single day 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:44.320 hoping that they'll see their son again, that they want 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.880 to believe that this is all a dream, that they 0:15:46.960 --> 0:15:49.640 cry at the thought of someone else taking over his 0:15:49.720 --> 0:15:51.760 locker or his seat at the dinner table. Members of 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:56.040 the jury, the real victim is not here today. The 0:15:56.240 --> 0:16:00.840 villain in today's case is the defendant. Defendant is the 0:16:00.880 --> 0:16:04.320 person with the plan. The defendant is the person with 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.680 the motive. The defendant is the person who, the day 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:10.400 after the fire, was not even enough time to mourn 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:14.920 their business. Requested at one point five million dollars in full, 0:16:16.480 --> 0:16:20.880 members of the jury, do what's justin today's case. We've 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:23.880 done our job. We've proven these elements to you beyond 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:27.160 a reasonable doubt. So now it's your time, your moment, 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.040 to do what's right in today's case, and to show 0:16:30.080 --> 0:16:32.800 the defendant that when they burn their building they can't 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:35.520 get away with it. We must hold them accountable, find 0:16:35.560 --> 0:16:50.640 them guilty. Thank you, thank you. Yes, yes. Maybe For 0:16:51.520 --> 0:16:56.120 those listeners who are currently at an HBCU like you were, 0:16:56.840 --> 0:17:00.400 uh and thinking about going to law school, is there 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:04.639 any transition or is there something that you feel like 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:08.640 it's important to point out for those students who might 0:17:08.680 --> 0:17:12.159 be going into a school that's not an HBCU for 0:17:12.240 --> 0:17:15.480 law school. I've been saying this since before I even 0:17:15.520 --> 0:17:18.840 got into law school. First of all, when I was 0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:23.000 even talking about applying to an HBCU, I had friends 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:28.159 very confused as to why, and I constantly had them 0:17:28.400 --> 0:17:32.240 had to make the argument, like why HBCUs were so valuable. 0:17:32.720 --> 0:17:34.720 My mom went to one, so that's why I knew. 0:17:35.320 --> 0:17:37.160 And I even got into n y U. They didn't 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:39.399 give me any money, but I was encouraged by like 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.440 a counselor to go there instead because the degree would 0:17:42.480 --> 0:17:44.760 be worth more. And to a lot of people that 0:17:44.880 --> 0:17:49.119 might seem true. But I've done summer programs where people 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:53.040 from Ivy League institutions will say, we don't have anything 0:17:53.119 --> 0:17:55.960 close to what the pre law program at Dealer is 0:17:56.000 --> 0:17:58.840 offering you. So we have the lead program there for 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:01.840 two hundred dollars and you can get some of that back. 0:18:02.280 --> 0:18:06.120 They're offering us what six five months of els at prep. 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:10.399 Other schools are are not offering that number one, or 0:18:10.440 --> 0:18:12.480 the students are having to pay thousands of dollars for 0:18:12.560 --> 0:18:16.280 private tutoring. And I just think that the support is unmatched, 0:18:16.400 --> 0:18:19.960 and with black faculty understanding the obstacles that we're going 0:18:20.040 --> 0:18:23.600 to have to go through to reach like a minimal 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.280 amount of success as our white counterparts. I think that 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:30.119 to me is extremely valuable and and a lot of 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:34.000 fields were responsible for the most black professionals, So I 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:36.919 I'm very adamant about this that we are. You know, 0:18:37.000 --> 0:18:39.879 we can hold our own and even here do I 0:18:39.960 --> 0:18:43.159 know everything coming in? No? Are there things that I 0:18:43.240 --> 0:18:46.920 don't know, of course, but it doesn't scare me like 0:18:46.960 --> 0:18:49.240 I thought it would. In fact, I'm just like, oh, 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:51.520 I don't know that, I'll know it after a couple 0:18:51.560 --> 0:18:54.560 of classes. It doesn't intimidate me at all. There are 0:18:54.600 --> 0:18:57.879 some things too that I think any black person would 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:02.000 experience that might come from a similar background. Is me like, 0:19:02.080 --> 0:19:04.960 there are just some things that in my community we 0:19:04.960 --> 0:19:07.840 didn't necessarily talk about, or in my family we didn't 0:19:07.880 --> 0:19:11.119 talk about that. That comes up there even times where 0:19:11.520 --> 0:19:13.600 I'm sitting in class and we're talking about a case 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:15.280 and in my head, I'm like, we could have sued 0:19:15.320 --> 0:19:18.320 for that, or we needed a lawyer for that, And 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:22.199 it makes me excited that now my family is going 0:19:22.240 --> 0:19:24.520 to have somebody to kind of lean on even though, 0:19:24.640 --> 0:19:28.800 like I'm just one little girl, but somebody who you 0:19:28.840 --> 0:19:32.080 know can be that bridge and you know, provide that 0:19:32.119 --> 0:19:35.560 type of access to just to their family, regardless of 0:19:35.600 --> 0:19:39.159 like the the entire community. But that to me is exciting, 0:19:39.520 --> 0:19:43.240 and so it provides us a different type of awareness 0:19:43.320 --> 0:19:46.359 about the implications of these laws and you know the 0:19:46.440 --> 0:19:48.359 impact that it's going to have on our community that 0:19:48.520 --> 0:19:51.200 only HBCU students are only black students are going to 0:19:51.280 --> 0:19:54.480 be able to offer and you know, talking that through 0:19:54.520 --> 0:19:56.680 with some of the black students in my class who 0:19:56.840 --> 0:19:59.680 didn't go to an hbc U, but us being able 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:03.960 to here our experiences, that to me, like has made 0:20:03.960 --> 0:20:06.879 it a little bit better. So yeah, I think we 0:20:06.880 --> 0:20:09.160 we hold our own And if you go to an HBCU, 0:20:09.640 --> 0:20:11.359 do not think that you because you didn't go to 0:20:11.400 --> 0:20:14.920 Columbia or whatever school, that you couldn't get into these 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:18.200 places or thrive in these places, because that's absolutely not true. 0:20:19.400 --> 0:20:22.040 I didn't apply to any hbc U law school. I 0:20:22.080 --> 0:20:25.040 did not. I have my HBCU experience and I'm thankful 0:20:25.080 --> 0:20:28.560 for that. I love my HBCU, but I want to 0:20:28.600 --> 0:20:30.879 experience other things, like whether we like it or not, 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:33.280 an h b c U is not going to be 0:20:33.560 --> 0:20:37.280 representative of what the legal profession is going to look like. 0:20:37.800 --> 0:20:42.960 It's not. HBCUs definitely have their place, And I loved 0:20:43.000 --> 0:20:45.600 my undergrad experience. I felt like I needed to branch 0:20:45.640 --> 0:20:49.240 out and go to a different institution. I will say, though, 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:52.399 if like you're coming from an hbc U undergrad and 0:20:52.440 --> 0:20:54.280 wanted to go to like a p w I law school, 0:20:55.040 --> 0:20:57.639 you are automatically going to make friends with every black 0:20:57.640 --> 0:21:02.400 person on that campus. You Like, it's almost always, that's 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.720 just what it is. During orientation, it's like we all 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:08.200 locked eyes with each other and we're like, we're friends now. 0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.639 No matter what, we're friends now. So you automatically are 0:21:12.640 --> 0:21:15.320 going to get some friends. At least that's what happened 0:21:15.320 --> 0:21:20.040 at my law school. But if the the thing that 0:21:20.119 --> 0:21:22.959 is scaring you the most is that there's not going 0:21:23.000 --> 0:21:26.320 to be anyone that looks like me, I no longer 0:21:26.440 --> 0:21:30.080 like consider that like an argument that's gonna hold like 0:21:30.119 --> 0:21:32.119 too much weight, because whether we like it or not, 0:21:32.480 --> 0:21:34.880 a lot of people aren't gonna look like us. This 0:21:34.960 --> 0:21:37.880 field is not representative of the population of the United 0:21:37.880 --> 0:21:40.680 States at all, Like they are very very little black 0:21:40.720 --> 0:21:42.800 faces in this profession, and depending on where you want 0:21:42.840 --> 0:21:46.000 to practice, there can be even fewer. Sometimes you're just 0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:48.320 you're just gonna have to do it, and you're gonna 0:21:48.400 --> 0:21:51.640 just have to have that support system, regardless if it's 0:21:51.680 --> 0:21:55.000 with peers that you make, the black faculty at your school, 0:21:55.480 --> 0:21:59.120 or even staying in contact with your friends who went 0:21:59.160 --> 0:22:02.120 to an HBC you with you, like talking to Amya, 0:22:02.240 --> 0:22:04.960 talking to my other friends, just staying connected with them 0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:07.320 and make sure making sure you have your support Systeff 0:22:07.720 --> 0:22:10.200 And honestly, your family is going to be the most 0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:12.760 important thing. That's what has been the most important thing 0:22:12.800 --> 0:22:15.600 to me since I moved back, being with my family 0:22:15.640 --> 0:22:19.280 and being close to them. They have really supported me here. 0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:22.119 So just don't let that scare you. You will be 0:22:22.200 --> 0:22:28.480 just fine. Be run into any mock trialers that you 0:22:28.560 --> 0:22:33.720 went up against. No, for me, I feel like the 0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:37.240 memorable people and that sounds kind of like bad, But 0:22:37.359 --> 0:22:40.280 the memorable people for me, um, I know where they're at, 0:22:40.359 --> 0:22:42.399 Like they go to a different law school and they 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:45.399 were older than me, and then I know a couple 0:22:45.440 --> 0:22:48.800 of younger ones. But yeah, I haven't met any competitors 0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:51.320 though I don't know that I would maybe I would 0:22:51.359 --> 0:22:55.160 say something, but in my head for some reason, unless 0:22:55.200 --> 0:22:57.840