Brittany Faith, An Example of Exceptional Work Highlighted on UT’s 40 Under 40 List

In 2021, The University of Tennessee Alumni Association named the first Volunteer 40 Under 40. This new award is an annual recognition of 40 UTK alumni under the age of 40 who have done exceptionally well in their careers following their graduation.

In 2022, 23 of these recipients were women. All of the women recognized on this list have worked hard to achieve success in their fields, and they all serve as an inspiration to young women at UT.

One of these women, Brittany Faith, a lawyer and head of Grant, Konvalinka and Harrison’s Immigration Group in Chattanooga shared her experience at UT and in her career.

Faith is originally from Oak Ridge, Tennesseee. She moved to attend college at Pennsylvania State University and thought she would never return to the state. However, a scholarship from the UT School of Law brought her back and changed the trajectory of her life.

“I was a political science major. I’d worked on some local campaigns, and I thought that the JD (Juris Doctor) would be an added value to help me get further on campaigns. Then I ended up in a completely different place,” Faith said.

Faith realized what direction she wanted to go in her career after working at a pro bono clinic during her first semester of law school.

At this clinic, Faith saw a couple that she had gone to high school with who had gotten engaged. They were at the clinic because the woman was a DREAMer, and the couple was concerned about her status.

A DREAMer is someone who was born outside of the United States of America and was brought here as a child. The DREAM Act, which stands for the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, is a piece of legislation that provides protection for people who have grown up in the U.S. but are still undocumented.

The couple wanted to apply for a marriage license but was worried about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) being notified due to the woman’s status. The couple spoke to an immigration attorney at the clinic and explained their situation, including that the woman was in nursing school.

The attorney informed them that the woman would not be able to get a nursing license in the state of Tennessee because she was undocumented.

After witnessing this encounter, Faith decided she wanted to get involved in immigration law so she could help people like this couple.

During the rest of her time at the School of Law, Faith worked at multiple non-profits and eventually landed a job at her current firm.

Faith shared that there are a lot of tough parts to her job. She explained that working in immigration during the Trump administration was difficult.

“They liked to make immigration announcements on Friday afternoons … So, you’re trying to leave early or get out of here or whatever, and then your phone is blowing up,” Faith said.

Faith explained that the local news would call on Friday afternoons after immigration announcements were made by the government.

“And then the law was constantly changing and then there’d be a lawsuit here, and there’d be a stay here. It was just exhausting,” Faith said.

Under the Biden administration, Faith still experiences her fair share of difficulties.

“The Biden administration has not corrected a lot of the Trump administration stuff. They put in a lot of things to slow down case processing,” Faith said.

Faith shared how frustrating it is to work in immigration law because there are so many delays.

“A work authorization application, they say, takes 3.75 minutes to adjudicate. Why is there a ninemonth wait for that?” Faith said.

Despite the difficulties that go along with her job, Faith also loves it a lot because she does not work with deportation.

“I’m here to make people happy. People come to me and tell me they got married, they got a new job or they’re applying for citizenship,” Faith said.

Faith added that some of her favorite parts of her job are giving people hope when they thought they had none and building relationships with her clients.

Faith shared her perspective on the attitude toward work that she has observed in recent years.

“I think that people say they’re going to do things, and then they don’t actually follow through. When I say I’m going to do something, I do it,” Faith said.

She explained that she sees this problem in the younger generation in the workforce.

“I see a lot of Gen Z people say, ‘Oh, I want worklife balance.’ And what that seems to mean is that they want self-care more than work,” Faith said.

Faith added to this, sharing a piece of advice she received in law school.

“In order to make withdrawals, you have to make deposits.”

“You have to show that you can do the work to be able to get the lenience to sometimes not,” Faith continued. “You have to prove yourself, and pay your dues a little bit.”

Faith then shared what she considered the best advice she has been given. She was told by a judge in Knoxville: “Whatever you do, do it deliberately.”

She elaborated that this means separating your time at work and home.

“If you’re at home and relaxing, you do that. If you’re at work, do that,” Faith said.

By applying this advice to her work, Faith has become very accomplished since her time at the School of Law. In addition to her work as head of GKH’s Immigration Group, Faith is a contributor to the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, Fair Immigration Reform Movement, Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition, and others.

Faith also works with a variety of non-profit organizations and media outlets, as well as volunteering for organizations like Midsouth Immigration Advocates and Justice for Our Neighbors.

Brittany Faith is a great example of the hard work, dedication and excellence that is honored by UT’s 40 Under 40 Award.