DETOUR

Me at the conclusion of my commencement ceremony

(FL-D Sen. Bill Nelson and me)

A lot has happened since I last posted. I completed an awesome internship with Becker & Poliakoff, I was placed on two law school wait lists including my top choice, I had an great and relaxing summer, I completed my last year of the Emma L. Bowen Foundation, I graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University with a bachelor of science in public relations, I volunteered in my school's division of journalism office and was offered a job, and I was one of 10 student journalists chosen to go to the White House at the end of August. Yet, I was not offered admission into any law program. Yeah. Sad. I know. But being the public relations professional that I am, I came up with a contingency plan, or a backup plan. I still have my heart set on going to law school, but I just have to get there by using a different route.

After attending my last Emma L. Bowen Conference in June, I met an executive from Bright House Networks. After telling her my career goals, she invited me to have lunch with her and her colleague who is the vice president of government and industry affairs for the cable company. Although it took us two months to finally have the lunch (scheduling differences), the experience was worthwhile. Through them, I learned how to continue to build my personal brand, I learned about more careers in the media industry, as well as the value of networking.

In addition, I decided to pursue a master's degree in public administration or public policy, for after completing the internship with the law firm, I developed a strong interest in lobbying. Currently, I am researching graduate schools in my home state and how to study effectively for the required entrance exams. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I am a bad standardized test taker, however, I know I am not dumb or stupid (in my opinion, the test are lol).

By pursuing an MPA/MPP, I will be able to gain work experience in the field I intend to pursue a career in, and hopefully the skills I gain through the program will make me an even stronger candidate for law school when I decide to apply again (within the next 2 years) and provide me with the skills to do well on the LSAT.

I'm excited for this detour in my journey to law school. I just pray that it works out and that it becomes a fulfilling experience.

Lesson: Work Hard and Play Hard

This week was a busy week at the firm and the Capitol. It was the 2011 State of Black Florida Week, and and members from several black organizations came to the Capitol to to lobby for issues that were important to each of their organizations and the publics they serve. Some of the organizations included LINKS, Inc., a few of the Black Greek Letter Organizations, and the presidents of Bethune-Cookman University, Florida Memorial University, and Edward Waters College.  Also, since it was such a busy week, I was able to sit in on my first committee meeting and report what went on to one of the other lobbyists at the firm.

By the end of the week, things had calmed down at the office, so Yolanda invited me to the Florida Caucus of Black State Legislators Annual Gala Celebration. At the gala, I saw many of the senators and representatives I had met since starting my internship, and I even got to meet Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll.

After the brief presentation made by the executive board of the Caucus, the Tallahassee Nights Live Band, began to play some music. Next I found myself electric sliding, cha-cha sliding, twisting, Cupid shuffling, and forming soul train lines with legislators, school board members, the mayor of Tallahassee, the lieutenant governor, and other influential people of Florida.

"See, when you work hard, you play hard, too," Yolanda said to me as the gala was wrapping up.

Before coming to the gala, I had no idea how much fun I would have. Because I thought these people held some of the most important and influential jobs in the state, I kept forgetting that they do have lives outside of their careers and they want to have fun just like you and me.

My New Internship

On Monday, March 14, I became the new Government Intern at Becker & Poliakoff, PA in Tallahassee, Fla. When I was offered the internship, I honestly did not know what to expect. I visited a law firm once when I participated in the Widener University School of Law JURIST Academy in Wilmington, Del. during the summer of 2010, but I did not see any non-law school students interning there.

After one week of interning, I must say that I have learned A LOT! I work closely with the government specialist, Cedric McMinn, and I have learned so much from him in such a short period of time. I learned about the administrative duties that go along with working at a law firm such as scheduling appointments with legislatures to discuss bills that are important to the firm's clients. I am also abreast of the major bills that are up for discussion and voting in the Florida Legislature and I am able to navigate around the Capitol.

Yolanda and me at the annual National Association of the Bahamas Gala in 2007.

On March 21, I spent the whole day with one of my supervisors, Yolanda Cash Jackson, at the Florida Capitol. Yolanda is a shareholder of Becker and Poliakoff, and she is one of the most powerful and influential lobbyists in Florida. She is a Bahamian-American from Miami (like me!), and she is a graduate of University of Florida's College of Law.

I got to see her in action as she discussed bills with different legislators that she knows on a personal and professional level. As I watched her in action, all I could think about was how much her career mirrored the things that I was learning in my public relations courses.  I noticed that with each client she utilized the five communication skills, which are listening, writing, speaking, counseling, and promoting. She listened to what each legislator had to say, she counseled them on talking points that they could use when they presented their bill, she promoted the bills that were important to her clients' issue, and wrote down things that were mentioned to her, so that she could go back and conduct more research.

After spending the day with Yolanda, I really became interested in becoming a lobbyist. It was the first time I saw how law and public relations actually worked together without conflicting with each other. I also thought about how comfortable Yolanda looked doing her job. It seemed as though she was having a regular conversation with the legislators, and much to my surprise, they were willing to listen. I quickly realized that each time she met with a legislator, they felt completely at ease with her, and they were very candid with her about their reservations or un-readiness about the contents of the bill, or why they had a favorable attitude toward the bill.

Although it was a really long day, overall, I really enjoyed my day at the Capitol and with Yolanda. I enjoyed my day so much that I did not want to leave and go home. And when I did come home, I wanted to put on a suit and go back to the Capitol. Spending time with her really opened my eyes to a career where I can utilize my public relations skills and still be an attorney.

#PROGRESS

Today I found out that I was placed on the waiting list at one of the schools I applied to! Also, all of my applications are complete, since my last LSAT score came in.

The REAL waiting game commences...

Another Disappointment, but HOPE is still alive

I told myself in December 2010 that I would not blog until I took the February 2011 LSAT and got my score back.

Well, that day has finally arrived, and I'm sad to say that my score got one point worse. It's disheartening news, however, I really did do my best. I took a professional prep course ($849), did all the homework for it, never missed a day, and seemed to be doing pretty well in the classes. I was not even nervous or anxious about the test, for the prep course boosted my confidence from when I took it in October.

Although this was a disappointment, I still have not lost hope, and I won't give up. It's not in my nature. I'm already thinking of a contingency plan...

In the meantime, I will be conducting research on why people, especially some people of color, in my category (high GPA, low standardized test scores) do so poorly on these types of tests. I'm really interested in seeing what scholars have to say about it because I've always bombed these tests.

Dare to Dream Young Girls Network makes front page news!

A couple of blog posts ago, I mentioned that I volunteer as a public relations manager at Dare to Dream Young Girls Network, Inc. in Tallahassee. Well, Ms. Kimolyn, the founder and CEO, and I have been working hard to promote the organization's upcoming event called Breakfast at Tiffany's. I submitted a press release and a media alert to the Tallahassee Democrat, and it resulted in a story on the FRONT PAGE of the Dec. 12 issue of the newspaper! I am so excited for myself and the organization!

Here's the article (Courtesy of the Tallahassee Democrat)


Breakfast at Tiffany's comes to downtown

By Elizabeth M. Mack • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER • Published: December 12. 2010 2:00AM

Kimolyn Ferrell had a dream of enriching the lives of young girls in her community. So she created Dare to Dream Young Girls Network Inc. in January 2004.

"The program was started initially to teach the girls etiquette and introduce them to different cultural experiences," Ferrell said.

Beth Curtin, the program's after-school facilitator, said the girls are given help with their homework Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, they get to do fun activities such as watching a movie or doing arts and crafts.

"I think it's a fabulous program," Curtin said. "It helps to build their self-esteem and makes them feel good about themselves."

Once a month, the young ladies in the program get all dressed up for breakfast and deep feminine discussion. This month, they are meeting downtown at the Raymond C. Sittig Hall in Kleman Plaza at 10 a.m. Dec 18.

During the four-hour event, there will be various empowerment workshops, several motivational speakers, live music and a mother-and-daughter professional photo shoot.

But they're gathering for more than just a meal and a talk — it's also the second annual Breakfast at Tiffany's event.

The event is a fundraiser that helps the program as well as a family during the holiday season through the "Get to Give" project. This year, they've adopted a family of eight.

For more information, contact Dare to Dream Young Girls Network at (850) 847-3875.

Framing and The Addendum

Two weeks ago I received my LSAT score. When I looked at it, I was not happy with my score, nor was I disappointed. I knew I did the best I could, considering that I rarely perform well on any standardized test. Now that my Law School Admissions Test score battle is over, I have started to fill out applications and gather materials for law schools.

However, I am preparing to fight another battle: telling law schools that I can and will be successful in law school despite my LSAT score. Since receiving my score, I contemplated on how I will portray the aforesaid to the admissions committee who will evaluate my application package. While attending one of my PR courses, I had my “ah hah” moment.

In my PR Research & Strategies course, we discussed the content of a publication by the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions titled "The Psychology of Climate Change: A Guide for Scientists, Journalists, Educators, Political Aides, and the Interested Public." In that publication, we were introduced to framing, which is "the setting of an issue within an appropriate context to achieve a desired interpretation or perspective." After learning about what framing is, I knew that it would be a great technique to use when I am writing to the admissions officers about my LSAT score.

Last week I wrote the first draft of my addendum. It took me a while to figure out the structure of my essay, but I eventually came up with what I wanted to include. First, I wrote about how I prepared for the LSAT, and the amount of time I spent preparing. I also included the materials I used to prepare for the LSAT. Then, I thoroughly explained my standardized test history and how the scores did not accurately predict my success in college and compared it to my LSAT results. Lastly, I gave reasons why I would be a great law school student.

I hope the way that I framed the message in my addendum will persuade law school admissions committees to admit me into their law schools. Wish me luck!