Age: 25
Family: Mom, dad, brother and soon to be sister-in-law.
Pets: One black lab and two shelties.
Education: Boston College, B.A. in History and American Studies, 2004. Boston University School of Law, J.D., 2007.
Admitted to the Bar: 2007
Employed by: Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, Inc.
Field of practice: Consumer Protection/Debt Collection Defense
Professional Organizations: Jacksonville Bar Association, Jacksonville Women Lawyers Association, National Association of Consumer Advocates
Community Involvement: Right now I’m teaching religious education for 4–7 year-olds at my church, Buckman Bridge Unitarian Universalist Society. The kids are a trip and definitely help me see a different perspective.
How did you get involved?
When I moved to Jacksonville I found the church and as the years passed, I realized what a great community I had found and how much I enjoyed spending time with the kids. And since they’re always looking for volunteers to teach, it wasn’t hard to get involved. This year we’re starting a new curriculum and I’m so excited to work with the kids on it. It’s called Spirit Play, based on a Montessori approach. Each week we do a story and use props to act it out. After the play kids can ask questions. They can also recreate the story during arts and crafts with the props we use.
Why did you get involved?
I remember how much I learned from my religious education teachers growing up and I would like to think I could do the same for the children at my church. I think that church is a great place to find examples of strong values; it was for me and I hope it’s the same for the kids I teach.
What have you learned/achieved through the experience?
The countless ways you can use pipe cleaners in craft projects! I guess the biggest thing I’ve learned is how cool these kids are and how much fun it is to hang out with them. I love to see how excited they get over things that most of us would consider pretty mundane and to see them really figuring out some big issues for themselves. They ask great questions about God and religion and what it means to be a good person. I get stumped almost every week.
You also worked as a poll watcher during election day?
Yeah, it was kind of exciting. I was working up in Nassau County and it was pretty mellow. They needed attorneys to make sure people weren’t getting turned away or having their voting rights violated. My brother asked me to get involved. He worked with the Obama campaign. It was a good chance to do something positive as an attorney.
What was the last book you read or are reading?
I’m in the middle of three: “Story Telling” by Tori Spelling (yes, I’m being serious), “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, and “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. A little variety never hurt anyone, right?