DIVERSITY CORNER
Diversity and Inclusion in Mentorships
JAMEESHA ROCK
I did not always want to be an attorney.
I vividly remember that my career goal
was to be a fashion designer/stylist. I was
inspired by black individuals like Dapper
Dan and Kimora Lee Simmons—designers
who impacted the fashion world despite
their skin color. However, I realized by the
end of my junior year in high school that
the future job prospects in fashion were not
only slim but also hard for people like me
who did not have many connections with
people in power, let alone in the fashion
industry.
I decided to talk to my career counselor at
my school and inquired as to what career
best suits me. I was the eldest child of a
single mother, and I was never pushed to
pursue a certain career. I did not have my
mother in my ear encouraging me to become
a doctor, nurse, politician, or attorney. As
I was having a deep discussion with my
counselor about my interests, he asked
me a simple question: “What makes you
happy?” I replied that I am happiest when
I help people, but I have a fear of blood so
being a nurse would not work. My counselor
chuckled and asked if I had ever thought of
being an attorney. I reflected at the time
on how my highest grade was in civics. In
addition, during debates, all my classmates
on my team wanted me to talk in front of the
class because of how well I articulated our
position. I had not put much thought into
being an attorney before because of the lack
of role models in the field who looked like
me. I did not know any attorneys or anyone
who attended law school, so I honestly did
not believe pursuing law was obtainable for
a young black woman such as myself.
Atlantic University’s Harriet L. Wilkes
Honors College. In 2017, I enrolled in the pre-
law studies program, and I joined the moot
court team my first year there. The first
night of practicing our arguments in front
of attorneys changed my life. In the midst
of several white male attorneys, sat one
black female attorney. She was gracious,
yet she looked stern. The questions she
asked the students had them fumbling for
the correct answer. I was in awe of how
powerful she looked and the confidence
she exuded. I knew in that instant I had to
talk to her. I wanted to know what she did
to get to where she was and what it was like
as a black woman to be an attorney. After
my class was dismissed, I rushed to her
and introduced myself. She handed me her
business card with a smile and told me to
contact her if I had any questions about law
or law school.
A couple months later, I reached out to this
attorney, Jean Marie Middleton. I asked
her if she would consider being my mentor
and guide. She agreed and we met at a local
Starbucks. Since our first meeting in 2017,
Mrs. Middleton has been my mentor and a
tremendous guide to me. She has helped
me to find numerous connections in the
legal field, encouraged me to never give up
on my goals, and has just been a walking
inspiration that black girls like me can be
an attorney.
I know this mentoring relationship has
helped me to get to where I am today. I
currently work as a paralegal at the Legal
Aid Society of Palm Beach County, after
having decided to delay law school for a
year. During this past year, I applied to four
Despite my doubts, I decided to take a couple law schools, and I was accepted to all four
of law classes during my undergraduate schools with scholarship offers totalling
studies at Palm Beach State College. I met over $60,000.00 and counting.
a couple of attorneys that were adjunct
professors and aced every law class I took. I do believe my achievements were made
However, it was still discouraging not to not only because of my hard work but also
meet any black or female attorneys. I felt because I had a mentoring relationship
like the legal field had limited opportunities with someone who looked like me and who
for minorities and that I would have to fight knew the struggles I faced. When I was
my way into law school with more hard discouraged, my mentor gave me words of
work than my non-minority peers.
encouragement and affirmation. She knew
it was not easy for women of color to enter
After I completed my associate degree and succeed in the legal field, and she set
at Palm Beach State College, I went on to up a platform so I would have connections
pursue my bachelor’s degree at Florida and be able to meet more diverse groups
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of attorneys. Now, I can proudly say that I
know more than one black attorney and
more than one female attorney. I have also
found more mentors along my journey and
I am grateful for each of them. I am about
to begin the next step in my pursuit to
becoming an attorney, but the impact Mrs.
Middleton and the other attorneys have had
on my life will be lasting. I highly encourage
attorneys, who are willing, to reach out and
be a mentor to pre-law students before they
enter law school. Many students lose hope
before their real journey begins. By having
a legal mentor who understands them and
their goals before they apply to law school,
these students will have the support and
the tools they need to be successful and to
help diversify the legal field.
Jameesha Rock is a paralegal at the Legal
Aid Society of Palm Beach County. She
plans to begin law school this fall, and
she credits the mentoring relationships
she developed with female attorneys and
attorneys of color for helping to get her to
where she is now—on the road to becoming
an attorney. Jameesha may be reached at
[email protected].
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