National HBCU Pre-Law Summit Celebrates 10 Years of Empowering HBCU Students to Become Lawyers
Attorney Evangeline M. Mitchell, founder of the event, is celebrating a decade of empowering HBCU students who aspire to be lawyers. Her 10th Annual National HBCU Pre-Law Summit & Law Expo is scheduled to take place this year on Friday, September 22th and Saturday, September 23rd at the University of the District of Columbia, a public land-grant historically Black university, located in the nation’s capital of Washington, DC. The University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law serves as the presenting sponsor and is one of only six HBCU law schools in the country.
According to Mitchell, who is a graduate of HBCU Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas), this pre-law event stands apart because “it is the only one that not only provides the critical law school admissions, preparation and career information that you would expect, but it also openly addresses the unique and additional challenges that HBCU graduates face – particularly when they choose to attend predominantly White law schools and enter the legal profession – one of the least diverse professions.”
She says that she wants to ensure every attendee leaves with more than knowledge – but with a circle of support. “We deliberately create opportunities for them to find peer accountability partners and law student and lawyer connections that they can reach out to and build relationships with after the event. The people they meet can become mentors to help them navigate the difficult journey ahead. We constantly reiterate the importance of relationships as an equally important key to success – just as important as working hard and doing well academically. They can’t do it alone – and don’t have to. We are that village for aspiring lawyers. They will be surrounded by people who genuinely want to see them succeed.”
Again this year, lawyers, law students, law professors, and law school administrators will converge in the District of Columbia to participate in the summit in various capacities with the singular focus and collective purpose of helping to motivate, empower, and support HBCU students and alumni in their quest to gain entry into law school and the legal profession.
For more information about this year’s milestone event, please visit the official website at HBCUPreLawSummit.org.
