Law Professor Luz Nagle (second from right) visits with Fundación Dignitas to Barrio Reino de Palambé, Cartagena in August, 2022.
As part of a critical project sponsored jointly by the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ROLI) and USAID, Stetson Law Professor Luz Nagle spent part of her summer sharing her deep expertise about human trafficking and how to stop it in Colombia.
The USAID project Conectando Caminos por los Derechos/Connecting Paths for Human Rights (CCD) brought Nagle to Bogota and Cartagena to share recommendations and guidelines to help local, regional, and national officials and organizations combat human trafficking, a rampant problem globally that is particularly devastating in the region.
CCD is an entity that supports the transition between humanitarian aid and medium- and long-term development for Venezuelan migrants, Colombian returnees, and host communities in Colombia. It aims to foster cohesion and citizen security and ensure the rights of all members of society to live free from all forms of crime and violence, regardless of their legal status within the country.
Battling the scourge of exploitation
During her travels, Nagle met with some of the country’s most vulnerable populations and spoke to numerous media outlets about how government leaders can directly reduce the incidences of the human rights violations most common in Colombia as well as related crimes. These include labor and sexual exploitation, human trafficking, disappearance of individuals, and gender-based violence.
The populations that are most vulnerable to crimes of this nature include women, children, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
An international law expert who has written and spoken extensively on how to prevent human trafficking, Nagle has worked with government agencies and non-government organizations alike to develop effective strategies for promoting human rights.
IN PHOTOS: Stetson Law Professor Luz Nagle’s August 2022 Colombia trip
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In Colombia, such entities included Talitha Qum, a Cartagena nonprofit that helps girls and adolescents avoid trafficking and abuse, Corporacion Caribe Afirmativo, an entity that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, the city of Cartagena government, and El Fiscal, the Colombia attorney general’s office.
Throughout her visit, she advised CCD and other organizations on how to sharpen their strategies for combatting trafficking in persons (TiP), participated in meetings with organizations that are fighting human trafficking in their area, gave a keynote address at an event on human trafficking, and spoke to members of the media about the issue.
Sharing insights on human trafficking
At the core of the problem, she has said, is corruption, which she calls “the grease that facilitates human trafficking” and should be looked at as part of investigations into such offenses. Because it is so profitable, money laundering is also often linked to human trafficking, Nagle said, which is why banks should use greater scrutiny to look for signs of it.
“It is the obligation of all institutions to know their customers and follow the money to determine if they are involved in human trafficking and money laundering,” Nagle said during a panel discussion. “We do it for trafficking in drugs, and we should do it to protect human beings.”
She added that any money laundered as part of a human trafficking operation should be confiscated and used to help victims of the crime.
Left to right: Logan Jackson, Ashley Adams, Selina Nadeau
In keeping with Stetson Law’s focus on experiential learning as well as its dedication to community service, the college is yet again taking part in a Community Foundation of Tampa Bay fellowship program that harnesses Stetson Law’s greatest asset, advocacy.
Through a partnership called the Alliance for Advocacy and Philanthropy, three Stetson Law students will spend the fall 2022 semester helping the nonprofit carry out its mission of fostering vibrance and prosperity for all who live in the Tampa Bay region.
The three students chosen for the semester are Ashley Adams, Logan Jackson, and Selina Nadeau. Each student brings the ideal combination of passion and advocacy skills to their new role.
Ashley Adams, 3L
Originally from the Tampa Bay area, Adams is pursuing a law degree with a social justice advocacy concentration. She is a graduate in the University of Florida who spent several years working in advertising in New York City and Austin, TX before being called back to higher education.
In her current studies, Adams is focused on the intersection of advocacy and philanthropy as well as putting holistic and community lawyering concepts to work to help people confront both legal and social challenges they face.
After she graduates, she said she hopes to start or work for a nonprofit – or work in the public defender’s office. Adams is married, and together she and her partner have two English Bulldogs, Elizabeth and Margaret.
Logan Jackson, 3L
As the new president of Stetson Law’s Black Law Students Association, Jackson is an active campus leader who is committed to racial and social justice.
During her time at Stetson Law, Jackson served as a fellow with the Florida Law Schools Consortium on Racial Justice, a coalition comprising faculty, staff, and students from every Florida law school that aims to foster important conversations about the role of race and racism in the legal system. In that role, she focused heavily on investigating the racial impact of legislation that has been enacted or rejected in the State of Florida.
She has also been a member of Stetson Law’s Mock Trial Team, which has helped shape her skills as an advocate – something that will be critical, given her aspiration to be a community advocate.
She said the experience will give her critical insights on how to best serve the populations she hopes to help.
“I wanted to learn better how to serve and access resources for the communities that I will soon be working in,” she said. “As I desire to be a servant leader, I must learn how to support and empower those in need through community philanthropy. I believe that this fellowship will help me do just that.”
Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Jackson attended Loyola University New Orleans, where she earned a Bachelor’s in Sociology with a concentration in Social Justice and Inequalities with a minor in African and African American Studies.
Selina Nadeau, 3L
Raised in Texas, Nadeau is currently pursuing a J.D. with a concentration in environmental law. She is the current vice president of Stetson Law’s Environmental Law Society.
She said she plans to pursue a career as a litigator working on environmental justice issues.
In 2017, Nadeau earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in political science pre-law and certificates in law, justice & culture and women’s studies from Ohio University. Before coming to Stetson Law, she served as an AmeriCorps Member in the Ohio Stream Restore Corps.
In her free time, she enjoys open-air activities like roller-skating and paddleboarding.
About the alliance
Through these paid fellowships, the students will get an up-close look at how community philanthropy works as well as what it’s like working with nonprofit organizations. The Alliance for Advocacy and Philanthropy was formed in 2019 as a means of solidifying CFTB’s and Stetson Law’s shared commitment to lifting the community by aligning Stetson Law’s powerful advocacy with CFTB’s philanthropic endeavors. Learn about the 2021 fellows.
Left: Stetson Law alumnus Blaze Bowers; Right: Stetson Law Professor Peter Lake
A new annual award named for an influential Stetson Law professor will soon reward students who go above and beyond in the field of higher education law and policy.
On August 22, the Stetson Law community celebrated the full endowment of the award, the Peter F. Lake “Spirit of the Law” Endowed Annual Award, which they announced to Professor Lake, director of the college’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy, during a surprise reveal on Stetson Law’s Gulfport campus.
About the award
Each year, the award will be given to a graduating Stetson Law student who has dedicated time and service to the advancement of higher education law and policy and who has exemplified the “spirit of the law” by promoting development of character, competence, and access to the law.
The recipient of the award will be announced during Stetson Law’s annual Honors and Awards Ceremony, which typically takes place on the eve of spring commencement.
The new scholarship comes at a time of unprecedented challenges for colleges, universities, and other institutions and the legal questions they create for the industry, from political challenges to curriculum to the pandemic’s ongoing effects on mental health and learning.
“There has never been a time where the need for Stetson-trained higher education lawyers has been greater,” Lake said. “This award rewards students for exceptional commitment and achievement in the nation’s leading Center for higher education law and policy.”
Reflecting the Stetson Law community
Nearly a dozen alumni and other members of the community helped endow the award.
Among key contributors was alumnus Jim Haggerty, J.D. ’92, who has known and worked with Lake for many years. He said naming a scholarship after Lake is the perfect way to recognize his contributions.
“Professor Lake epitomizes everything that is good about Stetson Law – that unique combination of the academic and the practical,” Haggerty said of Lake. “He thinks about both what the law is and what it should be. His reputation in higher education circles is well-deserved.”
A national higher-ed thought leader
Every spring, Lake and his team host the National Conference on Law and Higher Education, a major event held on Clearwater Beach. It’s an event that draws stakeholders and decision-makers from across the country from all aspects of higher education, from campus safety officers to legal counsel to executive leadership. Lake often hosts webinars for national audiences of higher-ed industry members on emerging topics like changes to Title IX, and frequently speaks to local and national media outlets on the many challenges facing the sector, such as how campus health centers in some states will adjust to a post-Roe world.
“He sees the whole playing field when it comes to the issues facing higher education, be they legal, law enforcement or public perception-related,” Haggerty, who has collaborated with Lake on the conference over the last several years, said. “He is not just a friend and colleague in these thought-leading exercises, but also a mentor, leading everyone in the process towards asking the right questions before thinking about answers.”
Stetson Law alumnus Blaze Bowers, J.D. ’21, who helped coordinate the new award, called it “an honor to organize this for one of my closest friends and dearest mentors.”
Interested members of the Stetson Law community can contribute a gift to this fund by visiting the Stetson Law donation page and specifying that they’d like to give to the Peter F. Lake Award.
Between their studies, students taking part in the study abroad program in Oxford, England had plenty of time to explore.
After two years of COVID-19-related travel limitations, two popular summer study abroad programs returned to Stetson Law. The courses brought globe-trotting students and faculty to Oxford, England and The Hague, Netherlands for immersive experiences with a sharp focus on key aspects of international law.
The intensive sessions were complemented by generous amounts of time to explore the surrounding areas, their incredible history, and their vibrant cultures. Students came away from the experience with new perspectives and renewed enthusiasm for their study of the law.
Advocacy in Oxford
For two weeks in July, a group of students from Stetson Law and other institutions gathered in the U.K. to explore advocacy through theory, practice, and collaboration, and examine the similarities and differences between legal systems. Students were also exposed to the fundamental tenets of comprehensive case theory development, advanced witness examination, and persuasive storytelling.
Stetson Law professors Elizabeth Boals, Roberta Flowers, and Stephanie Vaughan were part of the team of instructors that led the course. Boals said one experience that stood out to her was Professor Rafe Foreman’s creative storytelling exercise, which involved a student trying to make a case in a language nobody understood, thus having to rely on gestures, vocal tones, and facial expressions to get her point across.
The lesson aimed to show students how understanding and conveying underlying emotions in a particular case is critical to persuasive storytelling – something many students struggled with at first, but eventually began to grasp.
Students and faculty took time to see the sights in Oxford.
“It was thrilling to see how far they progressed in their storytelling techniques during their closing arguments at the end of the course,” Boals said. “Their stories were persuasive, rich, compelling, and steeped in emotion.”
When they weren’t studying, participants explored the historic campus and surrounding environs, snapping photos of the incredible architecture and other unique sights.
Stetson Law student Greg Mueller, who participated in the program said his favorite part about the Oxford program was connecting with students and faculty from both Stetson Law and their across-the-pond counterparts.
“It was fun to be abroad and to experience so many amazing things that I had only heard or read about, but the best part of the experience for me was being surrounded by teachers and peers that made seeing those things so much fun,” he said. “From sightseeing together to just chatting over a pint, we became a close-knit group in a matter of days. I learned so much from my incredibly talented teachers, but what surprised me was how much I learned from my friends.”
Part-time Stetson Law student Tyler Vansant said he loved being able to build the experience into an unforgettable summer getaway with his family.
“It was wonderful to bring my wife and sons along for the trip; they got to explore many other parts of the UK and we still had plenty of family time on several evenings and during the weekend,” he said. “Also, being able to study in an environment so steeped in rich academic history like Oxford was very intriguing.”
To Professor Boals, it was an engaging, collaborative experience that proved invigorating.
“It was amazing to offer this intensive hands-on experience in such a historic and inspiring location,” Boals said. “The students and faculty alike were hungry to explore and engage and interact with colleagues. It was a wonderful experience and reminded me why I do this work.”
International Justice in The Hague
Also in July, Stetson Law was part of a program that gave students a front-row seat to international courts and tribunals in The Hague, one of the Netherlands’ two capitals.
Known as the International City of Peace and Justice, The Hague has played an integral role in diplomacy and international affairs since the late 19th Century. This past March, world leaders convened there to participate in the Nuclear Security Summit on the prevention of nuclear terrorism around the globe.
Law Professor Luz Nagle (sixth from left) led an important course on violence against women in The Hague in summer of 2022.
The program consisted of four weeklong courses: Indigenous Peoples in International Courts, Freedom of Expression: Modern Challenges and Comparative Perspectives, Comparative Transnational Criminal Procedure, and Violence Against Women: Armed Conflict, Exploitation and Subjugation. The course covering violence against women was led by Stetson Law Professor Luz Nagle. Law Professor Jim Sheehan served as the program’s Residential Director.
Students found the summer 2022 study abroad experience in The Hague, Netherlands, enlightening.
To students, it was an eye-opening experience.
For 2L Sondos Hassan, it was an opportunity to compare legal systems while learning to understand and appreciate the overlapping nature of American law and other legal bodies. It was a great way to stay productive over the summer, she said, adding that her favorite part of the program was visiting the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
“Seeing the collective attempt to create a center for the enforcement of human rights on an international level was both inspiring and humbling as we got to witness the challenges to those aspirations, such as jurisdictional issues, and also the philosophical ideations of what level human rights should be relative on an international scale,” Hassan said.
Professor Nagle said The Hague, a place where crimes against humanity are addressed at the international level, provided the right backdrop to tackle the difficult topic she was teaching on, violence against women, because it took the matter out of the abstract.
“I will like to believe that all the students learned something about violence against women that was previously abstract or remote,” Nagle said “By taking such a course, some of the students will remember the topics and know how to look for signs of violence in future clients or understand the root causes and impacts in the civil society in which they will be practicing lawyers.”
As for the overall experience, she said it was liberating for everyone.
“It was wonderful to see students engaging in the travel experience, and they took full advantage. Many visited other cities and nearby countries during their weekends and before and after the program,” she said. “As for the teaching experience, it felt great to teach “live” somewhere other than on campus. The change of environment was good for my motivation and great for the students.”
Darren Kettles, Director of Admissions at Stetson Law, takes a selfie with the fall 2022 incoming class during the new student orientation.
In the week ahead of the start of the 2022 fall semester, the Stetson Law community welcomed its newest members, 306 first-year students in all, to campus for a lively orientation. Faculty and staff sought to show the students, who are both part- and full-time, the opportunities that await them as well as the resources available to help ensure their success in law school and beyond.
Events took place in the Great Hall and Mann Lounge on the Gulfport campus. The students came from a diverse range of backgrounds and represented nearly 30 states and half a dozen countries.
Here are some more stats for Stetson Law’s incoming class.
28% racial/ethnic diversity
28 states outside Florida represented
6 non-U.S. countries represented
Median LSAT: 158
Median GPA: 3.51
The Stetson Law community looks forward to a vibrant academic year, which begins on August 22. See more Stetson Law news & stories.
Three Stetson Law alumni have recently been appointed judges in Tampa Bay area courtrooms.
In a single day, three Stetson Law graduates got well-deserved promotions to key judgeships in Tampa Bay area courtrooms. On August 5, the office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of the three alums to benches in Hillsborough and Hernando counties, which adds to the ever-growing number of important roles Stetson alums hold in courtrooms, legislatures, and other critical areas.
Marc Makholm, Hillsborough County Court
Stetson Law alumus The Hon. Marc Makholm
After years working in both private practice and public service, Makholm was appointed to the bench in Hillsborough County to fill the vacancy left by Judge James Moody III. For the prior 11 years, Makholm served as general counsel to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. While working as a criminal defense attorney in Tampa, The Tampa Bay Timesprofiled him in 2010. He received his B.A. from the University of Florida and his J.D. from Stetson Law. The Hillsborough Clerk of the Circuit Court is headquartered in downtown Tampa, with satellite locations in Brandon and Plant City.
Stetson Law alumna The Hon. Cynthia Oster
Cynthia Oster, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court
Following four years of service as a Hillsborough County court judge, Oster was appointed to the bench in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, which covers Hillsborough County. Prior to becoming a judge, she spent 18 years as a senior county attorney in the Hillsborough County Attorney’s office. She earned her bachelor’s from the University of Florida and her J.D. from Stetson Law. Her appointment fills the vacancy left by the departure of Judge Emmett Battles.
Barbara-Jo Bell, Hernando County Court
A native of Spring Hill, Bell has been working as an assistant state attorney in Florida’s Fifth Judicial Circuit for a year. Prior to that, she spent years as an assistant public defender. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Tampa and her J.D. from Stetson Law. Her appointment fills the vacancy left in the wake of the departure of Judge Kristen Healis. The Hernando County Clerk of the Circuit Court has a headquarters in Brooksville and has a second location in Spring Hill.
More recent Stetson Law alums-turned-judges
Graduates of Stetson Law aren’t just earning judicial appointments in the Tampa Bay area. Recent notable bench appointments for alums include Natasha R. Shaw, who was appointed to a newly established judgeship in Hawaii’s District Family Court in March of 2022. In August 2022, Alumnus Christian Towns was appointed a judge in the San Bernardino County Superior Court.
Clockwise from top left: Assistant Professor of Law William Bunting, Assistant Professor of Law Ashley Krenelka Chase, Visiting Professor of Law William Henning, Assistant Professor of Law Jaclyn Lopez
The start of every academic year at Stetson Law represents new beginnings in more ways than one. For new and returning students, it’s a time to set goals and intentions. For returning faculty, it’s a time to plan what they hope will be transformative lessons for students.
For those about to set foot on campus as new professors of law, it’s a time to delve into the Stetson Law community’s warm, welcoming, and hardworking culture. The 2022 fall semester kicks off such experiences for three new faculty members as well as one new visiting professor of law.
“As a fresh academic year begins, I am thrilled to welcome our new and visiting faculty to campus,” said Interim Dean Theresa Pulley Radwan. “I look forward to the ways in which they will enrich our community.”
Each will bring unique, invaluable knowledge and experience to class at Stetson Law. Here is some background on each of the individuals the college proudly welcomes to campus:
William Bunting,Assistant Professor of Law
Stetson Law Professor William Bunting
With a strong background in business law’s complex relationship with civil rights and economics, Bunting joins Stetson’s Law faculty from Temple University’s Fox School of Business, where he taught and conducted research as part of the Department of Legal Studies in Business.
Before academia, he worked as an economist in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, where he developed models and other tools to help the agency better serve consumers, served in the American Civil Liberties Union’s Center for Justice, was a practicing attorney in New York City, and worked as a law clerk for The Hon. Theodore H. Katz, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York.
Bunting holds a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and a B.A. in mathematics and economics from Carleton College.
Ashley Krenelka Chase, Assistant Professor of Law
Stetson Law Professor Ashley Chase
While she is not new to campus, Chase’s exciting new role as full-time faculty is just beginning.
An influential force in promoting “electronic-first” research methods, Professor Ashley Chase has worn a lot of hats in her years at Stetson Law. Most recently, she served as associate director of the Dolly & Homer Hand Law Library, where she helped plan, develop, and evaluate reference and circulation initiatives and activities.
She became an instructor of law at Stetson in 2015; classes she taught have included an advanced legal research course developed with Digital-Age law students in mind. The American Association of Law Libraries named her an Emerging Leader in 2017.
She earned her J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law as well as a M.A. in Library and Information Science from University of South Florida and a B.A. in English from Bradley University.
William Henning,Visiting Professor of Law
Visiting Professor of Law William Henning
An expert in the Uniform Commercial Code, Henning has a passion for reforming commercial laws to better reflect the needs of people. He visits Stetson Law from Texas A&M University School of Law, where he taught Contracts, Sales & Leases of Goods, Secured Transactions, and other courses. He has been a law professor for over four decades; his teaching experience also includes the University of Missouri Columbia School of Law and the University of Alabama School of Law.
Henning is a life member of the Uniform Law Commission and a member of the American Law Institute. He received his B.A. from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, his J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, and an LL.M. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Jaclyn Lopez, Assistant Professor of Law
Stetson Law Professor Jaclyn Lopez
A Florida native with a passion for conserving the state’s wildlife and natural spaces, Lopez comes to Stetson Law from the Center for Biological Diversity, where she served as the environmental nonprofit’s Florida Director and senior attorney. She holds an LL.M. in environmental and land-use law from the University of Florida and a J.D. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She also holds a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona.
While at the Center for Biological Diversity, Lopez’s work involved advocating for protection of ecosystems in the Caribbean and the Southeast U.S. She has written, taught, and presented extensively on environmental topics, including at Stetson Law. Lopez presented on red tide in Florida waterways in August of 2021 as part of the Edward and Bonnie Foreman Biodiversity Lecture Series. In January of 2017, she spoke about the hazards of Florida’s phosphate industry as part of the series, and in April of 2016, she presented at the 16th International Wildlife Law Conference on “The Miraculous Life of a Sea Turtle.” She also served as a final-round judge for the 2020 International Environmental Moot Court Competition.
To help higher-education officials better understand the U.S. Department of Education’s extensive proposed changes to its Title IX policy, Stetson Law Professor Peter Lake gave an in-depth overview of what may be to come and how the industry may be affected.
At the top of his presentation, Lake, the Charles A. Dana Chair and Director of Stetson Law’s Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy, warned his audience things were about to get intense.
“I basically have a three-hour presentation that I’ve tried to figure out how to squeeze into an hour and a half,” he said.
Signed into law in 1972 by President Richard Nixon, Title IX protects against sex-based discrimination at institutions that receive direct federal funding – namely, educational institutions, including public colleges and universities. It deals with everything from LGBTQIA+ protections to procedural requirements for investigating sexual misconduct allegations.
Inviting stakeholder comments
Now at its half-century mark, the policy has continuously evolved alongside shifting cultural and political landscapes. The latest proposed changes, for which DOE seeks comment, are spelled out over 700 pages in a document Lake called “deliciously difficult to parse through,” but worthwhile given what he said appears to be an openness to feedback on the part of DOE.
“This document that you’ve got is really unique in a lot of ways, because it’s a conversation document,” Lake said. “It’s designed to be iterative. It’s designed to trigger comments at many points.”
Changing protections & processes
Many aspects of the draft regulations are similar to the current policy, but with adaptations that attempt to solve for complications that arise amid an increasingly intricate and often-contentious regulatory and political climate.
Key changes include:
Greater LGBTQIA+ protections
Stronger pregnant and parenting protections
A new, broader definition of harassment
More adaptability for recipient grievance process
Lake gave an overview of how some of these proposed changes may conflict with ongoing litigation pertaining to the intersection of free speech and LGBTQIA+ protections, the potential influence of recent developments like the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and potential conflicts with states that pass laws that are contrary to Title IX regulations.
“Title IX just took a big pivot, and it’s pivoting very clearly toward reproductive rights,” Lake said. “I do not need to belabor the fact that the Supreme Court struck a match this summer, and wherever you stand on the panoply of ways of viewing what happened this summer, be prepared for a department that intends to – at least for now – move toward reproductive rights protection in a way that we have not seen previously.”
Current events, including the pandemic, may shape the new rules when it comes to resolving challenges where mental health is a factor.
“Mental health intersects with Title IX enforcement in very prominent ways,” Lake said. “The emphasis on supportive services suggests to me that we need to be prepared, when this rule-making process concludes, for very strong interest in supportive services, particularly ones that are related to mental health. We’ll have to prepare the field now for the services that we’ll legally be required to provide that will be connected with a surge in mental health issues.”
The Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy’s next webinar, “Higher Education and the Constitutionalist Court: The Supreme Court Expands Liberty and Promotes Democratic Decision-Making,” takes place August 17, 2022 from 1:00 – 2:30 P.M. and will feature William E. Thro, general counsel for the University of Kentucky. Get more details and register.
Left to right: Antonio Graham, Jr., Lachelle Allen, Corisa Foster, Kai Rutledge, Ciena Cumberbatch, Catie Parish, Julian Fuller, Kuiper Elza, Eniyah Cineas, Shyann Givens, Zach Kelly, JoShonna Harris, Antwon Howard, Ava-Marie Rollins.
Over the course of a week in July, high school students from in and around St. Petersburg got an up-close look at how government works at all levels – and how to use their voices to advocate for change.
The eye-opening experience, conducted in partnership with the nonprofit organization Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, invited a diverse group of local youth to engage with Stetson Law faculty and staff, judges, lawyers, and other professionals. All shared insights on the justice system, how laws are made, and how to promote social justice at the ballot box and beyond.
It also involved thought experiments on how to create a society from the ground up, respectful debate about the role government should play in everyday life, lessons in post-high-school life, and self-care sessions.
IN PHOTOS: Stetson Law’s 2022 Youth Civic Engagement Program
Now in its second year, the Youth Civic Engagement Program aims to enhance civics education for the participants – thereby equipping students with a working knowledge of their rights and the avenues by which they can advocate for their communities.
“We must change the world for the better. No matter what,” said Carl Lavender, chief equity officer at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, as the program started. “As aspiring young leaders…you’re able to go to trial and litigate on behalf of what is good for all of us as people.”
During virtual and in-person events, instructors sought to give participants a deeper understanding of their place in the world and how to challenge the status quo.
“One of the things that we want to do is to motivate you to learn more about why things are the way they are,” said Law Professor Judith Scully, who helped organize the program. “We want to also help you to understand that the words on the page that constitute the law may not always be the best possible way of protecting our rights.”
A broad range of backgrounds & interests
The students were selected to participate from an applicant pool of local youth ages 15-17. Program organizers sought diverse voices; participants ranged from an aspiring attorney to a talented visual artist. Among the issues they expressed interest in were criminal justice, civil rights, advocating for workers, LGBTQ+ issues, healthcare, and intellectual property.
Carmen Johnson, Executive Officer of Diversity, Collaboration, and Inclusion for Stetson University, said it’s the college’s role to examine the legal system and ways it can be used to foster a fairer society.
“Part of our work here at Stetson, and throughout higher education in general, is to analyze institutions that were created years ago and understand how many were not built with inclusion in mind,” Johnson said. “We want to find ways to benefit more and more people, and ensure that people of all backgrounds belong and can thrive throughout these important spaces.”
Over the course’s five days, faculty and community presenters introduced the students to topics ranging from social justice, advocacy, human rights, and civic responsibility to mindfulness, goal-setting, and planning for college.
Kuiper Elza, a student from St. Petersburg High School who participated in the program, said the emphasis on activism was a big draw for them.
“I found it really interesting to learn different tools for how to be an activist and advocate for yourself and communities – and different ways you can educate yourself, educate other people,” Elza said.
Field trip to a courthouse
On the final day, participants and instructors boarded a bus to the St. Petersburg Judicial Courthouse, a branch of Florida’s Sixth Judicial Circuit, where civil trials and other proceedings take place for Pinellas and Pasco Counties. There, Judge Steve Berlin gave them an overview of the judiciary and day-to-day life in the courtroom.
They also heard from three Stetson Law alumni currently working in different areas of law: Keongela Randle, an assistant public defender in the Sixth Judicial Circuit; Forest Sutton, an assistant state attorney from the 12th Judicial Circuit, which comprises Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties; and Assita Toure, an attorney with the Rumberger Kirk law firm.
The alumni elaborated on their roles and shared insights on what law school was like before conducting a mock voir dire to show how attorneys vet potential jurors prior to a trial.
Challenging, but rewarding
The Saturday following the program, students and their families attended a brunch reception where they celebrated their success and reflected on the week’s events.
Interim Dean Theresa Pulley Radwan praised them for taking time away from their summer break to be part of a challenging program.
“We are in unprecedented times in this country,” she said. “Think about how you can be part of advocating for change about the things that you are most passionate about. I know that it was not an easy week, and I appreciate that you were willing to take that week and be part of what I hope was just the beginning of your future as an advocate, as someone who’s passionate about making change in the world and finding your place in it.”
Law Professor Christine Cerniglia, who co-organized the program and led many of the sessions, commended the students for the openness she saw over the week.
“We heard a deep understanding of what needs to happen in our country. We tackled topics from abortion to the recent Supreme Court cases to systematic issues of racial justice,” Cerniglia said. “The voices were powerful; absolutely powerful.”
When it comes to the often-complex relationship between healthcare and the law, recent Stetson Law graduate Jessica Shoshana Zelitt is well-versed.
The Lakewood Ranch, Florida native, who was named Stetson Law’s Spring 2022 valedictorian, has been managing Type 1 Diabetes since she was eight years old. She now hopes the knowledge and expertise she gained at Stetson Law will eventually position her to take on a role where she can help shape public health policy.
Keeping a full calendar
Zelitt’s time at Stetson can best be described as active. She was part of Stetson Law Review, where she harnessed her passion for healthcare policy to research and write “Pay or Die: Evaluating the United States Insulin Pricing Crisis and Realistic Solutions to End It,” an article that appeared in Volume 50, Issue 3 of the publication.
On top of it all, Zelitt was applying herself in the classroom in the hope that she would become valedictorian – an aspiration she developed after her first semester of classes went incredibly well. She said she is incredibly proud of becoming valedictorian but recognizes the challenging work of all her classmates.
“It’s truly an honor because I know how hard everyone in my class has worked over the course of their law school career,” Zelitt said. “I think it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and struggle on my own part, but my peers have played a big role in encouraging me and inspiring me to accomplish what I’ve done.”
While steadfast motivation was clearly a key to her success, Zelitt cites remaining engaged through all her campus activities as a factor. Being involved with the law review and Dispute Resolution Board helped her view her studies through a more practical lens.
To Law Professor Stephanie Vaughan, who helped coach and mentor Zelitt ahead of the Vis Pre-Moot event, her success demonstrates how participation in extracurricular advocacy activities can help deepen a student’s understanding of the law.
“I am positive that there is a strong connection between involvement in activities like advocacy boards and law review to a student’s overall success in law school,” Vaughan said. “Jessica’s having achieved valedictorian status is certainly a case-in-point, and I am incredibly proud to have been a part of her experience at Stetson Law.”
Staying the course in unusual times
Prior to coming to Stetson Law, Zelitt first majored in physics at University of South Florida before changing her major to public health with a minor in political science. She then knew law school was in the cards and, wanting to remain in the Tampa Bay area, set her sights on Stetson Law.
Perhaps ironically for someone aspiring to work in the arena of healthcare policy, much of her experience at Stetson Law was shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic, an unprecedented healthcare crisis that led to multiple semesters of virtual classes, masking, and other precautions.
“This really wasn’t a normal experience,” Zelitt said. “But I’m proud that I made it through and everybody else did too because it was truly unprecedented.”
Zelitt is set to start her career at Adams and Reese, LLP in Sarasota, where she plans to put her knowledge, experience, and passion to use as a practitioner.
In a July 2 article in The Guardian titled “Fox and Friends confront billion-dollar US lawsuits over election fraud claims,” Stetson Law Professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy was quoted on the likelihood that Dominion has a valid defamation case against media outlets accusing the electronic voting systems manufacturer of voter fraud.
Versions of the story also ran in Yahoo! News and other outlets.
The article quoted Stetson Law Professor Louis Virelli III, who commented on whether Supreme Court justices’ praying with a group that filed an amicus brief is problematic.
