Her Story
About Summer
I'm a third-year student at the University of Alabama pursuing a major in political science with a dual minor in African American Studies and Liberal Arts. My ultimate goal is to become a civil rights attorney. I've immersed myself in politics and civil rights work through several leadership roles. As Chief of Staff of the College Democrats Black Caucus Board, I advocate for Black students as they navigate through collegiate and professional spaces, offering them the resources they need to succeed. I also serve as Chief of Staff of the Alabama College Democrats, working on a larger scale to get Alabama students who are interested in politics into those spaces, because Alabama can often be pushed off to the side when you think about states. In my role as Associate Justice in our student government association, I serve as a middleman between the law and students. When somebody violates the code of conduct, they come to our office and we have conversations about ways to redeem the behavior before they have to take it to another level or have something held against them, like a court fee. This summer, I'm working as an undergraduate assistant for our graduate school, coordinating a research program. Last summer, I was in a similar program but for law, and it's been really cool seeing the other side of being on the staff and coordinating events. I'm the oldest of four siblings and the first person in my family to make it to this level and continue to pursue law. My parents went to college but didn't get to finish because they ended up having me, so I'm doing this not only for personal reasons but for the sake of my family.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Summer
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, I would say that it's my parents. They have been so supportive every step of the way in everything I do. They went to college, but they didn't get to finish college because they ended up having me. A lot of times when I'm talking about the things that I'm doing, they're like, you can do whatever you want, you can do whatever you put your mind to, and just being able to have the people behind you and speaking life into you, it becomes rare these days. You're navigating these spaces in college, and you meet people, and you become friends with people, and you think that they're who you're supposed to be friends with, and then you start telling them about your accomplishments and they start speaking negative things onto you. Having five people in your corner who can speak life into you and continue to motivate you, even when you feel like you can't do it, I think that that's the best part. When you feel like you can do it, and you've done all you can do, and you still have people there for you, shouting from the rooftop that you can do it, I think that that has been the most valuable thing that I can attest to my ability to keep going and just to keep thriving. I do it for them, I seriously do, and I just can't wait to one day just to pay them for all of the things that they've done for me. I'm the oldest of four, so I have three siblings, and seeing the way that they have been navigating through education in recent years, with censorship and stuff like that, their education has just completely changed from when I was growing up. They also motivate me a lot, especially in the civil rights realm. Being able to advocate for Black students, they have been my biggest motivator in that realm. So, my family in general is just a generalized statement that I would give.
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