In this bonus episode, the students in the Class of 2019 present on their takeaways from the pilot program and what they hope to achieve in their careers. The presenters in this second part are Assita Toure, Brielle Tucker, and Jemima Pierre Zetrenne with a short speech by founder Joseline Hardrick. This event was recorded live in March 2019 at the Portico Cafe, in Tampa, Florida.

Check out our YouTube page for the full video: https://youtu.be/WoDNQ2iZ6a8.

Enjoy!

In this bonus episode, the students in the Class of 2019 present on their takeaways from the pilot program and what they hope to achieve in their careers. The presenters in this first part are Luis Aleman, Tiffany Colon,  and Brittney Lainez with an abridged keynote presentation by Deanna Singh, JD MBA. This event was recorded live in March 2019 at the Portico Cafe, in Tampa, Florida.

Check out our YouTube page for the full video; https://youtu.be/WoDNQ2iZ6a8

Enjoy!

In this bonus episode, we share some reflections from the students in the Pilot Program which became the Journey to Esquire: Scholarship & Leadership Program.  Assita Toure, Luis Aleman, Brielle Tucker, Jemima Pierre Zetrenne, Brittney Lainez, and Tiffany Colon share their words of wisdom as they complete their third year of law school. This presentation was originally aired at the George Edgecomb Bar Association Scholarship Banquet in April 2019 as part of its partnership with Diversity Access Pipeline, Inc. to pilot the program.

Enjoy! 

John Schifino is a trial and appellate lawyer experienced in handling diverse cases in the areas of business litigation, labor and employment law, and environmental law. John is a member of Gunster's General Commercial Litigation group and represents public and private companies, and their officers and directors, in a variety of business related matters. He is the Past-President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and a member of the Florida Bar's Standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. 

Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-schifino-66708b9/ twitter - @JohnSchifino

Links: https://www.floridabar.org/about/diversity/,  https://www.hillsbar.com/default.aspx

Fun fact:  There's nothing I've enjoyed more that coaching my children's youth sports teams.

Andres N. Oliveros is a two-time president of the Highlands County Bar Association and the immediate past president of the Tampa Hispanic Bar Association.  

His law practice is exclusively focused on personal injury law, with offices in Tampa and Sebring.  A graduate of Duke University and the George Washington University Law School, Andres joined the U.S. Marine Corps as a judge advocate immediately after law school, and served as trial counsel overseas in Japan and as an operational lawyer in Iraq soon after the 2003 invasion. 

 Upon being honorably discharged, Andres returned to his hometown of Sebring and later opened his law practice in 2008 after settling in Tampa, where he now lives with his wife and two children.  Andres' practice consists entirely of the prosecution of motor vehicle negligence and premises liability cases.

Links: www.thba.org, www.highlandsbar.com, www.oliveroslaw.com

Fun fact: I almost quit law school to go to culinary school.

Haley Moss is a South Florida native who was diagnosed with autism at age three. Upon receiving her autism diagnosis, her family was told that she would be fortunate to make a friend, graduate high school, or obtain her driver’s license.

Haley has defied the expectations set forth within her initial diagnosis.

Today, she is an attorney, author, artist, and autism advocate who writes and speaks publicly about her journey and gives hope for other autistic people and their families and friends.

Haley attended the University of Florida and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology & Law as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2015. She completed both degrees in an impressive three years. Following her undergraduate studies, Haley was fortunate to graduate from the University of Miami School of Law, where she was a Miami Public Interest Scholar committed to promoting access to justice for all. Haley was the Student Commencement Speaker at her law school graduation in May 2018. She passed the bar exam and is a member of The Florida Bar. Today she is one of a handful of openly autistic attorneys.

Links: https://haleymoss.net/books/ https://haleymoss.net/ ; Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/10/17/hiring-neurodiverse-people-like-me-can-give-companies-competitive-advantage/ ; Podcast: https://www.differentbrains.org/spectrumly-speaking/

Fun fact: I love checking out group fitness classes. It's something I got excited about during law school. 

Born and raised in Tampa, Danielle Martin, Esq. is a graduate of Stetson University College of Law. Prior to law school, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science with a minor in Professional and Technical Writing from the University of South Florida, graduating Summa Cum Laude and a King O’Neal Scholar. While in law school, Danielle received the Highest Grade Award for Employment Discrimination, William F. Blews Pro Bono Service Award and served as Teaching Assistant to Dean Bruce Jacob.

Danielle Martin is an Assistant City Attorney for the City of St. Petersburg where she practices Labor and Employment law. Danielle is licensed to practice in all Florida state courts and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Danielle serves on Florida Bar’s Diversity and Inclusion committee. She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Also, she volunteers as a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. Danielle has been recognized as the 2017 Rising Star, 2018 Member of the Year Award for Minnis.

Links:

Blackstone:  https://www.blackstone-lsat.com/

Bridge to Practice: https://www.stetson.edu/law/career/memorandum-of-understanding.php 

Fred G. Minnis Bar Association https://minnisbar.com/

In this episode, Joseline J. Hardrick, founder and President of Diversity Access Pipeline, Inc., the nonprofit organization behind this podcast, shares part of her interview with the AfroLAWtina Podcast to discuss her journey to esquire and her experience in a federal judicial clerkship.

Joseline is a native of Brooklyn, NY and has called Tampa Bay home for the last decade. She graduated from Florida State University College of Law in 2009, worked for a large Tampa law firm practicing commercial litigation for almost four years, and clerked for two local federal judges for five years total. She is now a Visiting Assistant Professor at WMU-Cooley Law School's Tampa Bay campus teaching Constitutional Law and Criminal Law. She is also a children's book author.

For more information check out www.joselinehardrick.com and www.journeytoesquire.com.

To hear the full interview, please visit the AfroLAWtina Podcast on Apple Podcasts and other platforms. Visit https://afrolawtina.wixsite.com/content for more information on Gidget Benitez, foundr of AfroLAWtina and make sure to check out her new app "The Network" at afrolawtina.mn.co 

In this trailer, we pass the mic to the two people behind this podcast: Joseline J. Hardrick, Esq. and Ray C. Petty, Jr. Joseline is the founder and President of Diversity Access Pipeline, Inc. which runs the Journey to Esquire: Scholarship & Leadership Program and this podcast. Then we pass the mic to Ray C. Petty, Jr., a second year law student at WMU- Cooley Law School and an intern with the program. On this podcast we some great attorneys and judges who will share their "journeys to esquire" and offer  useful information about law school and the practice of law.  Listen to find out more! Special thanks to our JD Level Sponsors- U.S> District Courts Middle District of Florida's Bench Bar Fund and Agape Christian Bar Preparation services, Inc. Also thanks to WMU-Cooley Law School for providing the podcasting equipment and recording space and Dr. Peter-Christian Aigner for his assistance.