Interviews and 5 year time line

Pls excuse this draft it will be editted by this weekend.
5 year Time Line



I COMPLETED the first step. I applied for study abroad, got all my transcripts, letters of reccomendation and Financial Aid Application, I am still wroking on scholarships, butI have done  what I commited to before leaving class!

Tope Odofin, of Odofin Law Firm is a recent 2008 graduate of John Marshall Law School; she started her own general practice law firm immediately after graduation. She is ambitious and out going. I have known Tope for many years but have always had short casual conversations. This interview showed me all what I was missing out on in not holding an extensive conversation with her. She has traveled around the world and is only in her mid twenties.
Ms. Odofin claims that that the first year od law school is the hardest. You are under constant pressure, you are constantly panic. You have to develope new study habits, crazy studying hours.

*She has a human rights mission.
*She reccomends a break between bachelors and law school
*LSATS during break from school

Experience
*Study Abroad in Israel, China, Palenstine

Working on starting non profit organizations
* when u love what you do, you don't feel as much stress.

One Group Interview lawyers who run the Legal Trek organization I may be attending. I asked four questions because it was so many of them and limited time.

Sheila Maloney
In Law School, she worked full time and was also a full time student.
She felt inadequate, unhappy and alone because no one else could relate to her struggle.
She experienced growth and inner confidence and strength. "I can do it myself".

Kristen
EnjoyedLaw school because, she had talented classmates and everyone that was there sincerely wnated to be there. Recommends that you know yourself before attending law school, "find your identity" otherwise you'll fall for anything.

Johnathan

Learned that there is no right way to study, yo have ot do what works best for you. Everyone has there own style for studying and learning. Be excellent in your way of doing things. Recommends that when learning from people take 1 or 2 things that you like about the way each individual does things and work it with ur way of learning.

My "Role Models" gave me a boost!

I interviewed four of my role models this week. Two of which are lawyers with interests in justice internationally, one is a current law student and the last, but not the least person, is actually an engineer (Way out my alley, but I found a common interest), she is one of the founders of a non-profit organization called, "Mercy Hearts". Interviewing my role models was very good for me, it gave me a more strict direction and provided me with confidence on things I was skeptical about such as my future after undergrad, my current undergraduate degree, study abroad, and many more.

My first interview was with Babajide an engineer for ford motors who is also one of the founders of "Mercy Hearts" a non -profit organization whose mission is empowerment through education. She is doing great things!
What motivated you to start a non-profit organization?
On her my many visits to Nigeria she witnessed school age children roaming the streets during school hours.
What were some of the hardest things you had to overcome when starting this non-profit organization?
She stated that school officials were concerned about overstepping the governments free education system. Schools were afraid of getting in trouble with the Nigerian Federal Government.
Are you know or where you ever affiliated with the government?
She stated that her organization is not currently affiliated with the government, but they now have moral support from the government that makes it easier for them to fulfill their mission.
She stated that, " the government is excited about supporting us, they are open to our mission (as it is something fairly new and not common in Nigeria). The government assists us in obtaining information on schools that may need our assistance. She gave me an example of a situation where a principal of a school denied his students the ability to apply for the scholarship and the government got involved giving the principal confidence that accepting this scholarship would in no way hurt him or his institution.
What would be your best advice to someone who is interested in starting a non-profit organization?
"Remember that you can not help everyone." "Put together your scope and vision and stick to it, this helps maintain order. Have a fixed goal. There is always someone in need of help; people all have emotional stories that will make you cry. Write your constitution focusing on what you really want to do. YOU HAVE TO KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH."
IF you are working internationally have people abroad, that can account for every penny you spend, it is important for your organization as well as well as the people who are investing in your organization.
How are you able to financially afford to support student’s tuitions, supporting orphanages etc.?
Fundraisers, people make donations on our website MercyHearts.org.
What are some of the activities you've done through this organization?
Assisting Orphanages in Ibadan, tuition assistance for 17 kids, in an AID's orphanage in Uganda who were suspended from school due to non-payment, Scholarships for students in need, 1 million dollar project used in remodeling class rooms, roofs and science lab at a school in Nigeria and Adopt a class room.


Second interview:

Current Law Student. A hard working highly motivated student

I currently go to Kent law. I transferred from the University of Alabama.

What I wish I knew first:
I wish I knew that law school would try to take over my soul, chop it up into little bits and then try to sell it to the highest bidder. Despite this, (that is, knowing what I know now) I would still have come to law school. I just would have had a lot of sex first...and maybe tried a few illegal drugs.

Why I do it:
The law provides a huge opportunity to affect your community. To provide justice, to change the way things are viewed, and ultimately, to bring access to the world at large to people who have long been denied it. Every large social revolution has had to be moved by a change in the law. A few examples: the end of formal American slavery, the end of apartheid, the bloodless Revolution in England (that changed their government from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy.)

Before law school, I believed that the first step to ensuring world peace, goodness, etc. was ensuring that everyone had food. I now believe the road to any type of justice begins with access to law. Until all people have access to the law in some form, through the legislative process and, ultimately through the courts, their "rights" are theoretical and not meaningful rights that affect or empower their lives.

What I've learned:
The most successful lawyers are those who know who they are and what they stand for. Because of the framework of our profession that dumb saying " if you don't stand for anything, you'll fall for everything" holds especially true. There are so many gray areas that if you don't have your "line" it's easy to be swallowed by this mass of grayness and become a monster far different from the person you envisioned yourself becoming. I think this reality is at the root of law profession being the profession with one of the highest addiction rates.

Third interview:
This interview was with Professor Atuahene, B.
Professor Atuahene is amazing, Early in life she started out wanting to be a pediatrician. Her junior year in high school while on a field trip, her class was going to view cadavers, s he panicked and could not go into the lab. At that point she knew she could not do anything in the health field because of her fear of dead bodies. When she was in undergrad at UCLA she started out undecided. It was not until her junior year that she declared a major in Political Science and African American Studies.
She has a wide range of experience; Law and International development, she has worked for the World Bank in Washington D.C. (she believes that Lawyers in the World Bank are marginalized) and the Center for Economic and Social Rights and more. She recently completed a nine months research project on Property Rights in South Africa. Her researched was based on property that was traded by slaves in South Africa with white slave owners in place of their independence; "monetary compensation". She believes this transaction was a "fausty embargoing"(selling one soul to the devil in exchange for something the person wants, whether is youth, knowledge, power etc.).

Our conversation was more like a friendly lecture; she gave me all the information I needed with very little questioning. It was great I took notes and asked questions as needed.

She told me about the 3 different lenses, in which Law can be viewed,
Distributive Justice, Law and Economics; which focuses on efficiency and also Libertarianism.

She helped me understand that some of the discomfort I feel as in the academia is perfectly okay. As intelligent and experienced as she is she claims that she still feels inadequate at times. She comforted herself and I by explaining that, "growth happens when we are outside of our comfort zone. " Embrace discomfort, get comfortable growing. She even confirmed Barbra Sher's "pity party", stating that it is okay to have a "pity party", but pick yourself up and keep moving, "you can't stay there for long". This assignment definitely took me outside of my comfort zone, but was a great experience because I know nothing in heaven or earth, would have prompted me to interview my role models.

She suggests, before attending law school to take a year or two off, to gain experience and travel and work with non-profit. She attended Law School at Yale, where she did most of her growing, "I felt inadequate" She spent to years at Yale and received her MPA. She attended Harvard University on a full PPI scholarship.

If she could do it all over again she would have earned her JDPHD. She suggests doing a Joint Degree in Political Science, Sociology, History, Economics (strongly, if I can handle the math; I am praying on it) and Law School.

When I told her about my options for this summer, which are either, taking Arabic at UIC and attend a Law School prep program called, "LegalTrek" or Study Arabic Abroad in Morocco she strongly suggested Morocco. She stated that, actually going there to learn the language and speaking it is a good experience, and learning the culture of Morocco is a plus, also stated that because I am Muslim learning Arabic will also help me grow spiritually. She emphasized the importance of having a language "on lock". Arabic she claims is in demand; there are not enough people that know both Arabic and English fluently. She urged me to speak only Arabic while in Morocco; "the other American students may want you to speak English to them, but the more you practice the language the better you get. Emerge. Be militant!"

She suggested that I focus on school versus boys sharing a personal experience. She also suggested that I should read a lot, at least 5 books this summer. She suggested that I spend my summers doing things that will prepare me for my future goals. "It is in you reach, make choices". My favorite quote that she used to imply the importance of making decisions is, "Some people are like a current they just go with the flow and let the current pull them down stream. Swim against the current; upstream", She suggested that I spend my time wisely, which I do for the most part, but sometimes I get lazy and distracted. She even suggested Killing the T.V.; I don't like T.V. so that will be easy, thank God for blessing me with that. She also suggested that I question my grade, when I believe I deserve a better grade. "Question every B, why did I not receive an A and what could I have done to receive an A".

Professor Atuahene also put me in touch with one of her friends from Law School, who is also Muslim. I will be interviewing her later this week.

BRAIN STORMING

How can I get it without X?
How can I get X?


Through success team

|
Find Funding Online and through Role Models

|
Finances -Scholarships- Research
|
---->International<---- Law
|
LegalTREK
(Summer Prep Program)
|

Write Essay
Copy of transcript
And turn in application
|
Non-profit
Community Service
w/Politics
|
*
Mikva Challenge
| Call Bunmi
E-mail
Mikva
|
“Do you do
anything involving
international justice?”


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Prioritize
|
Create a daily TO DO
LIST
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Time mangement
|
( Good Grades )
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---→Economics←---
|
Testing
|
Study Group
|
Email Classmates
|
Pick a date, time and location



__________________________________________________________________

←----Social Justice----->
|
Organization
(Volunteer)
|
Mercy Foundation
(eventually start a branch in Chicago) '
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Write Proposal (Spring Break)
|
Research online and face book
|
Interview (2) current members
and (1) founder
|
set an appointment for interview

Interview notes