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Adena Hatcher

745

Bold Points

2x

Nominee

1x

Finalist

Bio

The crucial significance about the legal profession is upholding justice and fairness by defending the innocent. I plan to immerse myself in this role by becoming an advocate for those who cannot afford the necessary legal services. By offering pro-bono services, I will be able to contribute to the development of society by ensuring justice is enforced. The law profession is versatile because I will have the ability to contribute various forms of service. Besides working in criminal law, I plan to manage a juvenile delinquency program with hopes of deterring young teens from committing crime in the future. With the help of this program, I can help mold juveniles into highly effective individuals in our society. Besides the societal development, I can gain professional and personal growth as a lawyer. In law school, those skills are attained through extensive studying in order to gain a deeper perspective of the law. Thus far, I have acquired several analytical and critical skills in law school that I have emulated in various experiences that differentiate me from my peers. During my first year of law school, I encountered an experience that furthered my appreciation of the legal profession and distinguished me from other students. My legal research writing courses entailed extensive investigation and research. For example, I was assigned a legal memorandum on adverse possession and deliver to my professor what the likely outcome would be. However, I was not knowledgeable on how to apply the elements of adverse possession to the facts of the case. This project required me to use my legal research skills to guide me within my paper. After the conclusion of my paper, I delivered well-founded arguments to convince the judge why my clients adversely possessed the property they maintained and claimed as their own. To my advantage, the judge found that based on my research my clients were now the property owners. Lawyers are required to be competent when representing their client. Throughout this project, I was showed my professor and proved to myself that I possess those skills necessary to becoming a highly intellectual lawyer. Another experience, I acquired allowed me to develop a more notable and humble perspective that can be attained in the legal profession. For instance, during my first year of law school I devoted time to public service. I volunteered with VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance), which offers tax assistance to low-income families, non-English speakers, and other individuals in the community who need assistance. Before volunteering, students are required to undergo rigorous training and pass the tests to become certified as a volunteer tax preparer. The interactions I encountered in this program offered me an invaluable experience. This invaluable experience and the professional skills I acquired; I plan to invest adequate time to contribute to my community to build more opportunities like these for individuals. o participate in this voluntary service learning activity co-sponsored by the Internal Revenue Service, students undertake intensive, but voluntary training on preparing tax returns for individuals. Lastly, I had the opportunity to intern with a criminal defense attorney during the summer. This internship exposed me to legal injustices in the criminal justice system. For instance, I had the opportunity to assist on a case where the client was wrongly accused of a felonious crime. I was assigned to write a motion for the court to consider the defendant’s post-conviction relief in this case. After thorough research and working with the attorney, the motion was granted. This insightful experience induced my commitment to ensuring that justice is enforced. In retrospect, these experiences and skills that I have acquired in school thus far continue to develop. For instance, I have been appointed as the vice president in ACS (American constitution society) and BCLA (Business Corporate Law Association). Working together with executive board members of both organizations, I have taken the initiative to incorporate community outreach opportunities to members and students. As future lawyers, I want to challenge others to possess those various traits to impact the community in a beneficial way. My experiences are my unique assets that make me different from others. However, our shared purpose to help the community is what makes us the same. Overall, although law school is rigorous, my faith in God becomes stronger every day. Through worshipping God daily, I have discovered that the obstacles thrown into our lives are designed for a greater opportunity. This scholarship would not only bring a better opportunity to me, but to the communities I plan to serve. Through my initiatives of pursuing law and managing a juvenile delinquency program, I can bring awareness and challenge these obstacles in society.

Education

Barry University

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
2018 - Present
  • Majors:
    • Law

The University of Tampa

Bachelor's degree program
2016 - 2017
  • Majors:
    • Criminology
    • Criminal Justice/Police Science
  • Minors:
    • Law

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

  • Graduate schools of interest:

  • Transfer schools of interest:

  • Majors of interest:

    • Law
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      law

    • Dream career goals:

      lawyer

    • intern

      law firm
      2017 – 20192 years
    • Summer intern

      law firm
      2019 – 2019

    Research

    • Law

      Law firm — Research Intern
      2019 – 2019

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      VITA — tax preparer
      2018 – Present
    • Volunteering

      PEACE — Volunteer
      2016 – 2017
    • Advocacy

      BCLA — coordinator/Vice President
      2018 – Present

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Politics

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Entrepreneurship