1.) Set your standards high

You have to believe in yourself.  If you think you will fail, you will.  If you think you will get a ‘B’, you will.  Commit yourself to doing your best work at all times and you will be pleased with the result.  Never settle or sell yourself or your abilities short. Know that you can do the work and you can earn an ‘A.”  

2.) Work hard

This goes without saying; or at least it should.  From day one, you need to prepare for exams.  To that end, you must create good study habits.  This includes keeping up with the readings, compiling your outlines, and participating actively in class.  Try to see the overall picture and how all these concepts come together.  Review your notes daily and begin to synthesize your outlines weekly.  Join a study group if you find them helpful, otherwise, study on your own, at your own steady pace. 

3.) Begin with the end in mind

You will need a job after graduation.  Think about that now.  Network, utilize your career services office, and begin trying to find employment.  It’s called a search for a reason.  It takes time to develop your cover letter and resume and interviewing skills.  Try to work in an hour weekly for your job search. 

I know you can do it!  Others can see it as well or you would not have been accepted into law school.  This is a special opportunity to do something great for yourself and your future.  Throw yourself completely into this experience and I believe you will find it rewarding.  To conquer every obstacle, make impossible possible.

The 2001 ICLEO fellows are celebrating their 10-year reunion with an anniversary party at the Elbow Room in Indianapolis on July 29, 2011 from 6pm-10pm.  All alumni and current ICLEO fellows are invited to join the class of 2001 as they reminisce and reconnect.  

If you have any questions, contact: Tonya Bond at 637-0700 ext. 236.

 Welcome

It is my great pleasure to serve as the new director of the Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity. I have always been aware of ICLEO’s excellent reputation. It is rather well known among professionals that ICLEO assists in producing quality members of the legal community. It is also widely known that ICLEO’s statewide support reflects Chief Justice Randall Shepard’s sincere commitment to diversifying the legal profession and keeping great minds in Indiana. I am honored to take this role and advance that commitment.

A modern society needs a strong and effective legal system made up of diverse people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Since 1997, the ICLEO program has assisted over 300 minority students in their pursuit of a legal education. Our mission is to enrich the legal profession by providing a network of professionals and support systems to enhance the academic competitiveness of minority, low income, and educationally disadvantaged law students, with the ultimate goal of making Indiana’s legal profession as diverse as any Hoosier neighborhood.

ICLEO is an organization whose ideals, mission, and purpose are inspirational, but it is the people—students, alumni, employers and the administration at Indiana’s law schools – who make the program everything that it has been over the past 14 years.  I will work wholeheartedly to support the people and institutions who strengthen ICLEO,  I am committed to being open and accountable to you, and I cannot wait to hear your ideas and suggestions.  If you have any comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Phyllisia Gant
ICLEO Director/ Staff Attorney
Division of State Court Administration
30 S. Meridian Street, Suite 500
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
phone: (317) 234-6528
fax: (317) 233 – 6586
pgant@courts.state.in.us

Sujal, or “Suj” as he is more commonly called, is one of the most upbeat and positive people you could ever meet.  He always wears a smile and has a kind word.  Behind that smile is a very hard-working person.  As an undergraduate student at Notre Dame, Suj maintained a 3.91 grade point average.  He carried that same work ethic to Notre Dame Law School.  He was an article editor for the Journal of Law Ethics and Public Policy from 2008-2010.  He was on the Dean’s Honor List in Spring 2009. 

He spent the summer of 2008 and 2009 as a Summer Associate at Barnes and Thornburg, LLP in Indianapolis.  Prior to starting law school in 2007, Suj was one of seven Indiana Governor’s Fellows chosen by Mitch Daniels . 

Below is an excerpt of an interview with Suj: 

What was your favorite TV show when you were growing up?

Growing up, I enjoyed watching some of TV’s most celebrated “classics” on Nick at Night.  I enjoyed watching “I Love Lucy;” “Bewitched;” “The Dick Van Dyke Show;” and “Dragnet.”  I still believe many of these shows are better than the best of what networks put on today.

If you could meet anyone from history, who would you meet and why?

If I could meet anyone from history, I would meet Abraham Lincoln.  Obviously, as perhaps America’s most revered president, Lincoln faced the struggles of a divided population; internal conflict in his cabinet; and war.  Yet, many do not realize that Lincoln also faced an internal struggle with depression while facing gigantic political, diplomatic, and military battles.  Often history suggests to us that our bravest leaders led seemingly perfect lives.  But I would like to meet Lincoln to learn how one of America’s greatest leaders mastered his internal demons even as he led a nation past its own.

Where would you like to retire and why?

I don’t think I’ll ever retire.  Eventually, when I quit “working,” I intend to remain around Indiana and to try to give back if I’m able through charitable works or fundraising for a charitable organization.

If you had to move out of this country, what country would you move to? Why?

I think if I were forced to move out of the country, I would move to Germany.  I studied German for over 6 years, and I think the Alpine region of Germany (southern Germany) is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  Also, I would love to travel throughout Europe, and living in Germany would help me achieve that goal!

Caridad is a 3L at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.  Although she has certainly worked hard academically, she still managed to give time to extracurricular activities as well.  Caridad is part of the Federal Communications Law Journal, and is an Associate in the Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition.  She is also active with the Latino Law Student Association, the Latino Legal Advice Project and the Public Interest Law Foundation. 

As a summer intern with the Indiana Judicial Center, Caridad, who is fluent in Spanish, was instrumental in translating information for the Indiana Courts Spanish website. 

Below is an excerpt of an interview with Caridad: 

If you could have had the starring role in one film already made, which movie would you pick?

I would pick any movie made by Martin Scorsese, but if I had to pick just one it would be Goodfellas.

 What’s your passion?

It is a tie between dancing and music, but since they are so related I consider them one thing.

 You win a million dollars, but you have to give half to a charity. Which charity do you pick, and what do you do with the rest of the money?

The charity I would pick would be Locks of Love. With the rest of the money I would make sure my family has somewhere to call home, and if they do, then I would put the money away for my future children’s education. But before I head to the bank to put that money in savings, I would also take a quick vacation to Italy.

 If you were stranded on a desert island, what three books and three people would you take with you? Why?

I would take my husband, my mother, and my grandmother because they are the three most meaningful people in my life.  This makes me sound like a 14 year old girl, but I would take three books from the Twilight Saga. I know it sounds incredibly cheesy, but they are very entertaining books!

Congratulations to the following people for their success on the February 2010 Bar Examination and on being sworn in as newly admitted attorneys on May 17, 2010:

Shelly Barnes

Alan Buckley

Andrea Ciobanu

Danielle Cunningham

Deidra Grigsby

Kristin Jackson

Kenya Jones

Natalie Jones

Angela Joseph

Finis Shobe

Edward Thomas

“When walking down the street, you can walk in one line perfectly without ever falling over. Now take that same city block, make it a foot wider and then put it 100 stories high. You’re going to be so focused on the fact that you don’t have a banister that you’re more likely to fall because of it.When you’re so focused on what you don’t have…you won’t have! Isn’t interesting how one thing changes everything?”

 There are many people, perhaps even some of you, who do not think very highly of Mr. West.  I can understand why.  However, it is never prudent to dismiss a message based on the messenger.  Kanye’s message, at least to me, is clear.  Limitations are born inside of our own minds.  Henry Ford articulated it this way, “whether you think you can or that you cannot, you’re usually right.” 

Don’t defeat yourself before you begin the battle.  Learn to think that you can, and you will begin to behave in a manner consistent with succeeding at the task at hand. 

Robyn