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“My ultimate career goal is to become a social justice/advocacy lawyer and defend under-represented communities. I want to help those who need help and give them a voice."  The summer of 2018 was nothing short of a memorable experience for Taylor-Simone Johnson. It was through her Law Links internship with the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City that Taylor-Simone learned of the complexities of the legal professions, importance of professionalism, and value in making connections.
Next fall, with a scholarship from the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, Ms. Johnson will be pursuing a double major in English and Philosophy with a minor in Africana Studies at either the University of Maryland College Park or the Johns Hopkins University. Taking those lessons learned from her Law Links experience, this is the next step in her journey towards a meaningful career in social justice advocacy. Her advice to future Law Links interns? Always act your best regardless of where you are because you “will never know who is watching and taking notes”. Her exceptional performance as a Law Links intern earned Ms. Johnson an invite to a retreat in Atlanta hosted by Marjorie Harvey of the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation. It was through professionalism and personality that Taylor-Simone earned the support to pursue her passion for social justice and we at MYLAW have no doubt that these traits may carry her through to success!
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Are you an alumni of MYLAW's Law Links, Law Academy, Teen Court, City Council Page, Moot Court, or High School Mock Trial Competition programs? If so, we need YOU to tell YOUR story of success!
 Thaakirah Cason, a rising 3L at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, knows how much MYLAW cares about her and her future. Thaakirah is an alum of MYLAW programs for youth. Her first experience with MYLAW was back in June 2010 when she joined a group of youth to participate in MYLAW’s (formally Citizenship Law Related Education Program) Summer Center for Law & Government. One of the highlights of the program for Thaakirah was meeting various legal professionals exclusive to Baltimore. Thaakirah knew she had a love for the law at an early age, and shared, “I was intrigued with the law. I knew it was something I knew I wanted to do. It was helpful at that age to hear professionals in the legal field give first-hand knowledge on how to become an attorney or judge - the time it took and process to take to get there.” The Summer Center intensified her interest.
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 Maggie delivers her Curbside Composting Advocacy Project to a City Council Committee on Tuesday, May 7th. | Maggie Staudenmaier, 2019 City Council Page, and student of City College High School, presented her Advocacy Project on Tuesday, May 7 in front of City Council members. Following her presentation, she was invited to formally pitch her idea to a committee of council members during Tuesday morning's hearing. Maggie's project focused on curbside composting, in an effort to cut waste, improve the environment, and decrease methane emissions. |  Pictured here are Mary Pat Clarke, Maggie Staudenmaier and Liam David |
Dale Vester catapulted from troubled youth to JROTC cadet at Patterson High School, all with the help of the MY Teen Court program. MY Baltimore City Teen Court receives cases that would otherwise be processed through the Department of Juvenile Services. Dale found himself in trouble because as he put it, “I was doing stupid stuff just to fit in with my homeboys.” Dale openly admitted that back then he didn’t have an open mind and that MY Teen Court program “woke me up and I realized the charges that I had could have gotten me in really big trouble.” Dale was forced to accept responsibility for his actions in front of his peers and his family. Knowing he hurt his mother and father because of his poor decisions had a tremendous impact on him. “I love my family,” Dale affirmed. Youth respondents like Dale are required to complete all sanctions imposed by Teen Court. To complete his sanctions, Dale was required to return to Teen Court as a Juror to deliberate on sanctions to impose on other Respondents. Dale says acting as both a MY Teen Court Respondent and Juror provided him perspective. While listening to other Respondents tell their stories, Dale realized how bad influences in life can get you in trouble with the law. He also gained perspective of how the justice system works. Dale explained that now he can see things from all sides. The experience helped Dale to discover himself and pushed Dale to “do better.” Now Dale is a JROTC cadet and looks forward to a military career in the Air Force as a military technical engineer. He is currently studying for the SAT’s and, with the support of Colonel York and Technical Sergeant Smith, Dale will take the ASVAB Air Force entrance exam. Dale credits MY Baltimore City Teen Court program with helping him get on track and stay out of trouble.
Well, it IS Mock Trial season after all, and not just in Maryland. Since 1983, more than 66,000 Maryland students have participated in the MSBA Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition...and many have gone on to achieve great things. Take Andrew Del Vecchio, for instance. He's a former team member of Montgomery County's Richard Montgomery Mock Trial program. It's not enough that he went on to attend Yale. Nooo. This guy's a super-star! He's part of Yale's Mock Trial team that has reached the National Championship Match five years running...and was victorious in 2016 and again this year. Not too shabby, Andrew...not too shabby at all. We know Mr. Evans is proud of you, and so are all of us at MYLaw! #mocktrial
Pictured at far left - Andrew Del Vecchio, former Richard Montgomery Mock Trial team member, celebrates Yale's National Mock Trial Championship.
Jarkira Shird is a Baltimore City Teen Court volunteer superstar, who has been volunteering for four years. She is dedicated to helping her peers learn from their mistakes. Every other Thursday, Jarkira, without seeking any recognition, shows up to do her part for Baltimore’s youth. Whether she volunteers as juror or bailiff, or helps organize the pizza so dinner is served without issue, the MYLaw team has come to depend on and appreciate Jarkira for all her help. I had the pleasure of sharing a slice of pizza with Jarkira before the other volunteers arrived and I asked her, what keeps bringing her back to Baltimore City Teen Court as a volunteer? Jarkira shared that she likes sitting on the jury. As a juror, Jarkira is required to listen to the testimony of the Juvenile Respondent, and subsequently ask questions to determine which sanctions will best help the Respondent learn from his or her mistake. Jarkira explained, “I like jury duty because the sanctions show how to do better in life.”
When Jarkira isn’t at Baltimore City Teen Court, she is preparing for her future. She hopes to study music production in college and save enough money to open a music studio. Her dream job is to be a music producer. For fun, Jarkira likes to go shoe shopping. Her favorite brands are Nike, New Balance and Jordans. Volunteers like Jarkira provide Baltimore City Teen Court the kind of peer insight needed to connect with other youth who need help. At MYLaw, programs such as Teen Court help prepare youth for college, careers and civic responsibility. So, I like to ask youth to think about, if they were President of the United States, what would they say to the Nation? I asked Jarkira, and she answered, “I would say that we need to be a better community, build better housing and help homeless people.” Jarkira has our vote.
When Jarkira isn’t at Baltimore City Teen Court, she is preparing for her future. She hopes to study music production in college and save enough money to open a music studio. Her dream job is to be a music producer. For fun, Jarkira likes to go shoe shopping. Her favorite brands are Nike, New Balance and Jordans. Volunteers like Jarkira provide Baltimore City Teen Court the kind of peer insight needed to connect with other youth who need help. At MYLaw, programs such as Teen Court help prepare youth for college, careers and civic responsibility. So, I like to ask youth to think about, if they were President of the United States, what would they say to the Nation? I asked Jarkira, and she answered, “I would say that we need to be a better community, build better housing and help homeless people.” Jarkira has our vote.
Jamon Young, age 16, Grade 11, Frederick Douglass High School
Jamon Young is a regular volunteer at MYLaw’s Baltimore City Teen Court, held every other Thursday night at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center. Baltimore City Teen Court is an alternative for youth who would otherwise end up in the juvenile justice system. Jamon volunteers to sit on the jury of Teen Court dispositional hearings. As a youth juror, Jamon, along with his peer jurors, listen to the respondent’s side of the story to better understand what happened during the incident with the police and why the respondent got into trouble with the law. These young jurors take very seriously every piece of information the respondent shares before considering appropriate sanctions.
I asked Jamon why he continues to return to Teen Court as a juror volunteer. Jamon explained, “I like the process. I like the stories I hear. I think about what they [the respondents] need so they won’t get in trouble again or don’t get into something more serious.” Jamon’s favorite sanction to assign is the 5/10/15 Year Life Plan, which a respondent creates to think about how to achieve future successes. Jamon thinks it helps the respondent stay on track and stay out of trouble. I inquired if Jamon has a 5/10/15 Year Life Plan of his own. Jamon shared that right now he likes being a student at Douglass High School. He spends downtime in the school weight room working out. He plans to play football next season for Douglass High School and then participate as a track member following football season. In five years, Jamon plans to be at college for engineering and technology and after that, to enlist in the military.
Volunteer youth, like Jamon, play an important role in helping their peers navigate better paths towards the future. At MYLaw we seek to “build the next generation of civic-minded citizens.” So, I like to ask youth to think about, if they were President of the United States, what would they say to our great citizenry? I posed this question to Jamon, who took a second to think about the question and then answered, “If I were President, I would tell everyone we need to stop killing each other.” Thank you, Jamon. Well said.
Jamon Young is a regular volunteer at MYLaw’s Baltimore City Teen Court, held every other Thursday night at the Baltimore City Juvenile Justice Center. Baltimore City Teen Court is an alternative for youth who would otherwise end up in the juvenile justice system. Jamon volunteers to sit on the jury of Teen Court dispositional hearings. As a youth juror, Jamon, along with his peer jurors, listen to the respondent’s side of the story to better understand what happened during the incident with the police and why the respondent got into trouble with the law. These young jurors take very seriously every piece of information the respondent shares before considering appropriate sanctions.
I asked Jamon why he continues to return to Teen Court as a juror volunteer. Jamon explained, “I like the process. I like the stories I hear. I think about what they [the respondents] need so they won’t get in trouble again or don’t get into something more serious.” Jamon’s favorite sanction to assign is the 5/10/15 Year Life Plan, which a respondent creates to think about how to achieve future successes. Jamon thinks it helps the respondent stay on track and stay out of trouble. I inquired if Jamon has a 5/10/15 Year Life Plan of his own. Jamon shared that right now he likes being a student at Douglass High School. He spends downtime in the school weight room working out. He plans to play football next season for Douglass High School and then participate as a track member following football season. In five years, Jamon plans to be at college for engineering and technology and after that, to enlist in the military.
Volunteer youth, like Jamon, play an important role in helping their peers navigate better paths towards the future. At MYLaw we seek to “build the next generation of civic-minded citizens.” So, I like to ask youth to think about, if they were President of the United States, what would they say to our great citizenry? I posed this question to Jamon, who took a second to think about the question and then answered, “If I were President, I would tell everyone we need to stop killing each other.” Thank you, Jamon. Well said.
