AUWCL Hosts Law Day for Prince George’s County Public School Students
November 9, 2018
On Thursday, Nov. 8, American University Washington College of Law welcomed the Prince George’s County Public School’s Law, Education, and Public Services Academies for Law Day, providing an opportunity for high school students to meet members of the AUWCL community and get a greater sense of the law school experience.
Presented by the AUWCL Office of Admissions, the event included over 150 high school students from Potomac High School, Central High School, and Laurel High School in Maryland.
The visiting high school students first participated in a mock law class, led by Lisa Curtis, associate director of the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, where they discussed constitutional amendments and which constitutional rights were most important to them. A town hall forum featuring current AUWCL students followed, moderated by Judge Zuberi Williams ’03.
“The PGCPS High School students asked questions concerning immigration, criminal justice, mass incarceration, politics, voting rights, and how young people can make a difference in the world today. And they learned how important it is to prepare yourself for higher education,” said Senior Admissions Assistant Vanessa Anthony.
Professor Angela J. Davis, who specializes in the areas of trial advocacy, civil rights, and criminal law and procedure, addressed the visiting students and discussed her own journey into law, having grown up in the segregated south before attending Howard University and Harvard Law School.
“It’s because of lawyers that we will save this democracy that we’re in,” Davis said. “Whatever kind of law you decide on, remember to always give back to others. It’s so critically important. And if you decide not to be lawyer, that’s fine, too – there’s so many fields out there where it is important that people who look like you and me be there, doing that work.”
Kendra Brown, senior director for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Affinity at AUWCL, said it is “extremely important for AUWCL to set forth engaging programs as we continue to strengthen diversity in the field of law through pipeline efforts and initiatives.”
“We are committed to providing access and exposure to careers in the legal field through programs such as this and will continue building partnerships to further student engagement and pathways into the legal profession,” Brown said.