JSU pre-law students empowered by Future Black Lawyer Institute workshop

Anthony Howard JSU Public Relations

Five Jackson State pre-law law students were invited to partake in a “Future Black Lawyer Institute” workshop in Phoenix during Super Bowl LVII, creating an equally unique experience. JSU leadership served as a primary sponsor allowing the Bob Owens Pre-Law Center students to attend.

“The Department of Political Science believes that it is vital to bestow upon our students influential, longlasting, and unique experiences,” said Department of Political Science Chair Maruice Mangum, Ph.D. “Such highimpact practices encourage students to strive for higher heights and improve student success.”

JSU alumna Natasha Scruggs, Esq., invited the top- performing students to attend during a workshop she hosted at JSU last October.

Mangum added that these enriching opportunities will signal to students that adventures await them when they excel in the classroom.

“It is our desire that these students see themselves in spaces they did not dream about before. We hope they can see a new potential reality for themselves, work hard to achieve their goals, and be better prepared for their futures,” he said.

Senior political science student

Kennadie Boykin was a scholarship recipient from the previous workshop and was selected as a top-performing student to attend the Phoenix workshop. Boykin highlighted the opportunity to meet a judge who was a woman of color as her most memorable experience.

“The judges last time were all white males. In Phoenix, the lead justice was a Latina woman,” said Boykin. “It was different getting to hear her perspective, and being a woman in general, I could relate a little more, and I really liked that.”

The workshop attendees said they felt empowered by the experience, especially since it was a group consisting entirely of young black women who all aspire to become lawyers.

The JSU students were also asked to mentor and assist high school and middle school students who attended the workshop as well. Sophomore political science major Kourtney Graves credited the opportunity for strengthening the bond between her and her peers.

She said it was rewarding to mentor and share her experience with the group of youth.

“It was a very special and vulnerable moment to motivate a younger generation. The legal field is not very diverse, and I feel like it was rewarding to be in a room of Black and brown students working to be in the legal field,” said Graves. “It was so cute seeing them walk up to the podium and give oral arguments.”

In addition to meeting Arizona Supreme Court justices and mentoring, the pre-law students spent a day working with the general counsel for the National Hockey League’s Arizona Coyotes and Major League Baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Super Bowl host committee. This experience allowed them to network with entertainment lawyers who offered them internship opportunities.

“Talking to the entertainment lawyers was really interesting because we were able to talk to different types of attorneys, and they gave us really good advice,” said sophomore criminal justice major Makenzie Greer. “Being there just felt like we were receiving reward after reward, and that felt really good.”

The students said the Scruggs is planning on inviting them to more FBLI workshops in and they’re eager for the future exposure.

JSU journalism and media studies students gain valuable insight from workshop

Jackson State University’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies students and faculty were hosted by Grind City Media and the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies for a Digital Sports Media Workshop last month.

Students participated in various sessions spanning brand marketing, internal broadcast operations, brand operations, partnership marketing, and community engagement. The workshop also included a human resources panel entitled “Leveraging Your College Experience for a Career in Professional Sports.”

“Our students received an intimate integrated media and marketing experience that is indicative of the experiential student opportunities that we create at Jackson State University,” said Acting President Dr. Elayne H. Anthony, who accompanied the students on the trip as chair of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. “The connections and advice they received will resonate with them long after they leave here in pursuit of their media careers.”

Students were also treated to a morning shoot-around with Memphis Grizzlies players and coaches in preparation for a game against the Denver Nuggets. Afterward, they were allowed to participate in a pre-game media presser where they could ask questions of several athletes.

“A major highlight for me was the opportunity to interview David Roddy and Desmond Bane, who are both on the active roster for the Memphis Grizzlies.

As a college student, interviewing professional athletes is usually rare. So getting to do something like this early on was amazing,” shared Tianna Williams, a journalism and media studies major.

A senior, Williams, explained that she gained valuable insight from the workshop, including how to start her career and ways to be successful after graduation.

“I learned which careers I was fond of and which weren’t necessarily for me. It helped me gauge the many different departments available in the sports industry,” she said.

Williams, a native of Houston, said collaborations like the Digital Sports Media Workshop provide students with hands-on experience and show them they can achieve anything.

“It also gives us connections and helps us expand our network, which could ultimately help us get our foot in the door,” she said. Grind City Media Sr. Editor, Contributor and Analyst Michael Wallace helped organize the shadowing opportunity for the JSU students. He described the partnership as mutually beneficial and essential for the growth of sports businesses and communications industries.

“It was rewarding and eyeopening for the JSU students and faculty to learn and experience alongside industry professionals with our digital media wing in a realtime, live game-day atmosphere,” Wallace said. “And the experience also allowed multiple departments with the Grizzlies franchise the chance to showcase our city, facility and resources while mentoring and recruiting the industry leaders of tomorrow.”

During the workshop, students also attended the Grizzlies vs. Nuggets basketball game, where they were seated in the media press row.

“It was a great opportunity for our students to see how internal and external communications are done within professional sports. The various career opportunities they were exposed to in one setting – a golden moment to meet and interact with employees with Grind City Media and the Memphis Grizzlies,” said Don Spann, assistant visiting professor of journalism and media studies at JSU.

“It was an experience that really resonated with our students and hopefully inspired them moving forward to work harder in their respective area of media concentration.”