After devoting a substantial amount of time to raising your two daughters, why did you decide to return to law school?
Becoming an attorney was an aspiration of mine since I was nine years old when my life was impacted by the family court system during the formative years. It was at this young age that I learned there is a huge difference between legality and justice. The opportunity to attend law school arose for me fifteen years ago; however, I determined that, being a new wife and a young mother at the time, it would be best for me to defer law school until my girls were older. Being on the other side of the experience, I see the blessings that awaited me after exercising patience.
Your resume seems to be 50% professional/career related with 50% community service involvement. What accounts for your apportioning your time this way?
While I had professional experience, I was never fulfilled because I knew my calling was to become an attorney. Timing was a huge factor in determining when I would return to law school, and although I had “jobs” I always say my first career was actually nurturing and cultivating my family. Many have labels for this (stay-at-home mom, homemaker, etc.), but I have never been able to define it by one word because the nature of the job changes. There is often discussion, and sometimes debate, on whether women can “have it all.” I am beginning my professional career later in life than most, but I am grateful I was able to spend the early years of my daughters’ lives just being their mom and building a strong and loving marriage with my husband, Lathon.
Along with your husband and previous Young Leader awardee, Lathon, you co-founded F.O.R.C.E. Please tell us about F.O.R.C.E, and tell us why you both made the decision to start it.
F.O.R.C.E. Athleticz is a non-profit we started for the benefit of competitive female middle school athletes. The name is an acronym that stands for: FEARLESS, OPTIMISTIC, RELENTLESS, CONFIDENT, EXCELLENT. Through the uncertain times of adolescence, we felt these are characteristics the girls would need as they prepare to take on the world that awaits. The inspiration for developing this program came from our daughter Raevyn who developed a passion for competitive basketball. We found that the females, including Raevyn, who began to “go hard” at sports often had to drop other activities that were geared toward holistic development (Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., Delta Academy, etc.) Through her commitment to developing as an elite athlete and desire to compete a higher level, we found that the demands of school, basketball and everyday life simply did not leave room in her schedule for other scheduled activities.
