by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
That’s not one of the rules of jurisprudence, but it’s something Kenneth M. Angell, a law student at the University of Florida and recipient of the 2005 James F. Bailey Jr. scholarship, has grown to understand.
“I liked to read a lot when I was a kid,” said Angell. “But not for school. My focus was in other areas. I always thought I would be an artist, but I really didn’t understand how the world works. People who decide to become artists become starving artists most of the time.”
Following a less-than-stellar career in high school (“I didn’t even pass algebra at Sandalwood,” he said), Angell got a job in the food-service industry.
“I had some of my best thinking moments working the meat slicer. I would think about where I was headed while slicing Genoa salami. It kind of came to me: I figured out if I didn’t have an education, I’d be working at a sandwich shop for the rest of my life. I felt I had more to offer.
“I decided if I ever got the chance to go to college, I’d give it my all,” he said.
Angell enrolled at Florida Community College at Jacksonville and stayed behind the meat slicer to pay for his classes.
“At FCCJ, I became relentless about studying,” he said. “I took it very seriously. In my mind, it was as good as being at Harvard. I was in awe of the process.”
Angell’s new-found work ethic soon began to pay off with academic honors and financial assistance. Being named to the All-Florida Academic Team led to scholarships at the University of North Florida.
“College was pretty much paid for after that. It worked out better than I ever expected. I was ecstatic,” Angell said.
At UNF, Angell majored in English with a minor in fine arts and entered the pre-law program.
“I was pushed in the right direction at UNF,” he said. “I was recommended for an internship at City Hall in the General Counsel’s office. I also worked at Harrell & Johnson, Eddie Farah’s office and Rogers Towers while I was at UNF.”
After graduating summa cum laude from UNF in 2003, Angell returned to Rogers Towers as an administrative specialist before enrolling in law school at the University of Florida. He will finish law school next December.
Angell said, “2005 has been a great year for me. When I got the phone call from Troy Smith at Rogers Towers, I was excited to hear from him. I thought he might be calling about some possible employment there. When he told me I got the Bailey scholarship, I was like, ‘wow!’ When I applied for it, I figured, what are the chances? There are so many quality students in Florida.”
The scholarship is for $1,500.
“We look for several things including need, grades and desire to be an attorney,” said Jim Bailey, Daily Record publisher and president of Bailey Publishing and Communications Inc. “Equally important, we’re looking for someone who wants to come to Jacksonville to practice law.”
A few days before he got the call from Smith, Angell learned he had received the Florida Bar’s Young Lawyers Scholarship.
“It didn’t seem real. It was an amazing two weeks for me,” he said. “I’ve been very lucky. Without the people who have helped me, I wouldn’t have been able to go to college. I feel very fortunate that there are people out there who want to support people like myself trying to make their way through law school and enter the profession.”