I would like to thank the North Carolina Bar Association Government & Public Sector Section for awarding me with a $500 scholarship to supplement my living expenses during my internship with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office. I applied for the scholarship this past summer by submitting my resume and a cover letter about my passion for public service.

I strive to live a life of service and make a difference. That goal is why I joined the North Carolina Army National Guard in high school. While attending East Carolina University, I followed my passion for service by striving to embody the university motto of “Servire” – “To Serve” – through various service roles within the Student Government Association and the Student Conduct Board. In my first year as a student representative, I sponsored more legislation than any other member, which led to positive changes in my community, ranging from healthier options at the dining hall to the installation of a crosswalk at a local intersection. I continued to serve in law school as the NCBA Student Representative and vice president, managing partner for the Veterans Pro Bono Project, and editor in chief of the Campbell Law Observer. As the managing partner for the Veterans Pro Bono Project, I led the transition from a project that lacked direction and opportunities to a project now approved by the faculty and Dean to provide pro bono discharge upgrade services.

I completed my enlistment in the National Guard in 2019 but yearn to continue to serve others and my country in an even more meaningful and impactful manner. After two summers working full-time in two state prosecutors’ offices, and now a second semester at the U.S. Attorney’s office, I plan to pursue a career of public service as a prosecutor.

As a first-generation law school student, this scholarship meant a lot to me. It was a sign that there were others out there in the legal community willing to support me. It also serves as a sign to all first-generation law students that you do not have to have a parent who is an attorney in order to get your foot in the door or to obtain help from other lawyers. The North Carolina Bar Association is a great resource for law students. As an NCBA Law Student Representative these past two years, I have benefited from getting to know many of the NCBA’s staff and attorneys who attend their events. This scholarship was just another example of how the NCBA helps law students throughout North Carolina. I encourage other law students to get involved with the NCBA and to apply for this scholarship in the future. The scholarship allowed me to offset the expenses of working full-time at an unpaid internship and adjust to the COVID-19 guidelines, including by purchasing plenty of masks to wear to work every day at the Wake County Justice Center.

Due to COVID-19, I went into the internship thinking that there would not be much for an intern to do, other than draft subpoenas and continue cases. While this was true for my first week, it turned out that I was able to do everything I wanted to do and then some. Under the third-year practice rule, I was able to try fourteen district court cases, handle traffic cases in disposition court, draft a court order after winning a pre-trial hearing, draft an objection to a firearm petition, and even draft a superior court response to a motion to suppress and to assist just about everyone in the office at some point. I learned more in one week working at the Wake County District Attorney’s office than I have in all three years in the law school classroom. What I learned most was what ADA Brandon Boykin taught me during his last week as an ADA: “It’s your courtroom until the Judge tells you otherwise.”

March 31, 2021/by GovernmentandPublicSector