Out Of The Office Series: The Senses
Asia Lowe: Smell
Where are you a law student and what area of law are you interested in?
I am a 2L student at Campbell University School of Law, and I am interested in Criminal Law.
What do you enjoy doing out of the office?
I enjoy creating soaps, body butters, lotions, sugar scrubs and salt scrubs. My favorite creations thus far are my strawberry cheesecake and lemon buttercream body butters. The item I use the most is my honey oat and shea soap bar.
How do you make space in your life for this interest or activity?
I create soaps and other skincare products when my schedule allows. Sometimes, I create recipes during a study break. I often find myself watching YouTube videos about soap making, and the next thing you know, I’ve found a project for the upcoming weekend.
How does this interest or activity benefit your life?
I use my soaps on my son Julian. It feels good to know that my son is using safe and gentle products. Also, making skincare is a great reminder that I am more than just a wife, mother, and law student. I can do things for my own enjoyment. I love to have an at-home spa day using my own soaps, scrubs, and butters.
Greg Bell: Taste
Where do you work, and what is your job title?
I am Senior Resident Superior Court Judge in 16-B.
What do you enjoy doing out of the office?
Trying out new restaurants.
How did you begin doing this or get interested in this activity?
I became a Superior Court Judge in 2009, and the required travel gave me opportunities to try restaurants in southeast North Carolina.
How do you make space in your life for this interest or activity?
I mainly use my lunchtime to try the new restaurants. I try to avoid the chains and visit the Mom and Pop places.
Lindsey Spain: Touch
Where do you work, and what is your job title?
I am Assistant Legal Counsel at North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts.
What type of law do you practice?
My background is in criminal law and juvenile delinquency law as both a prosecutor and defense attorney. Currently, I work as Assistant Legal Counsel for NCAOC where I advise members of the judicial branch on primarily juvenile delinquency issues, but also a variety of other criminal topics including incapacity to proceed, sex offender issues, citizenship and firearms restoration rights, and certificates of relief.
What do you enjoy doing out of the office?
I enjoy spending time with my husband and 4-year-old son, reading, running, and playing piano. For this series, I am focusing on me as a pianist.
How did you begin doing this or get interested in this activity?
I started playing piano when I was four years old. My father and my paternal grandmother both played piano (my father also plays the organ), so I am the third generation to play piano, and I am the third generation to be a church musician. My son is already interested in the piano, so I hope that I will be able to report that we have a fourth-generation pianist soon! In middle school, I began playing piano competitively in local, regional, and statewide competitions.
How does this interest or activity benefit your life?
Playing piano is a stress reliever for me. It truly is a way for me to escape from anything that is weighing on me or worrying me at the time. When I play piano, I become so immersed in the music that I forget about what is bothering me, at least for the moment. It also helps me reset so that when I’ve had a chance to play piano, then I may have come up with a solution or plan of attack for the obstacle or stressor that was bothering me before.
Bryan Sumner: Sight
Where do you work, and what is your job title?
I am an Associate Attorney at Hairston Lane, PA.
What type of law do you practice?
I am a civil litigator. I primarily focus on the areas of labor and employment with specific attention to employment discrimination issues. My day-to-day practice is ever-changing, which has led me to expand into data privacy law.
What do you enjoy doing out of the office?
Outside of the office I enjoy photography, the gym, and playing PlayStation 5.
How did you begin doing this or get interested in this activity?
I have an uncle who uses a professional camera for his personal enjoyment, and I loved playing with it whenever he was around. His influence rubbed off on me, and I started taking pictures around Winston-Salem State University’s campus just to hone my skills. After a few years, that turned into a small business for me, and I haven’t looked back since!
How does this interest or activity benefit your mental health?
Being able to photograph people and places allows me to reconnect to people in a non-legal setting. That provides what I feel is an even greater boost to my mental health by allowing me to interact with others versus being left to my own thoughts in the gym.
Bryan Sumner enjoys taking photos.
Tiqeece Brown: Sound
Where are you a law student, and what area of law are you interested in?
I am a 3L student at Campbell Law School. I am interested in education law, governmental affairs, and public interest law.
What is your talent/hobby?
I am a motivational speaker, and I write poetry and perform spoken word.
Why do you enjoy this talent/hobby?
I love the use of literary devices to convey a variety of meanings. It is cathartic for me. I like inspiring others with my natural gifts. I love the power of words and contorting them to create a syntax that makes things uplifting. It allows me to take flaws considered by society and accept them as they are and create something magical. I’ll gladly take the gingerbread man with the smeared icing smile, the caterpillar who turned out to be a moth instead of a butterfly and take the art where the artist colors outside of the lines . . . because at the end of the day, it is still beautiful. I can motivate and inspire others. It is an investment. The power of hope goes a long way. Whatever I say goes. I do not have to follow grammar guidelines; it is my art. It does not have to make sense to anyone but me.
How does this talent or hobby benefit your life?
First and foremost, I am a collection of everyone who has ever believed in me and my talents. Lack of resources and opportunities allows the chance to be creative or resourceful. My talents have been an outlet, and it has helped me get through tough times when things are not optimal. Lawyers are problem solvers. My skills/talent translate to problem solving by being creative and turning a bad situation into a favorable outcome. My hobby benefits me from an empathy standpoint by relating to others and homing in on those soft skills that are not usually taught in academia. Finally, I am passionate, which plays to my strength to become a zealous advocate.