DDRB Lawyers are excited to announce the winner of the 2019 DDRB Lawyers Legal Scholarship award. This award is based on a number of criteria – short essay, current academic status, school related activities, community activities and other achievement standards. After thoroughly reviewing all of the candidates, we are happy to announce that Thalia Garcia, of Georgetown Law, is this year’s scholarship winner! Congratulations Thalia!
Thalia Garcia
Georgetown Law
Prior to transferring to Georgetown Law, Thalia attended Shepard Broad College of Law in Fort Lauderdale, FL where she was 2nd in her class of 172 Juris Doctor students. She was named to the Dean’s List twice, awarded the C.A.L.I. Excellence for the Future award, and qualified for her school’s Moot Court Honor Society. Additionally, Thalia was involved with the Nova Law Review on campus and many other campus associations. On top of these school awards and associations, Thalia was involved with many community organizations such as Feeding South Florida and the Susan B. Anthony Recovery Center in Pembroke Pines.
We congratulate you Thalia and wish you the best of luck as you continue your legal education at Georgetown Law.
As part of her application, Thalia was required to write an essay describing what she hopes to achieve during her legal career. She has graciously given us permission to publish her essay. We invite you to read it below:
“I knew from a young age that I was different. When I was younger I wasn’t quite sure what it was that made me different, but I knew that there was something that set me apart from my peers. Maybe it was the fact that I came from a large Hispanic family or the fact that, while most of my peers were still asleep, I was up cleaning stalls and making sure all the animals in our family farm were fed. As I grew, I started realizing that it wasn’t one specific thing that made me diverse, but a collection of things. The love of my large family, my love for animals, and my constant need for helping those less fortunate than me I, has molded me into the woman I am today and has driven me to one day become a lawyer.
Growing up in a large family has forced me to acquire a special set of skills that only one with a large family would be able to acquire. My family has enabled me to become quite the mediator due to all the petty fights my sisters would get into. Growing up with three sisters was quite difficult and I somehow always ended up being the youngest and yet the wisest of my siblings, but please don’t tell them I said that. I remember days in which I’d have to sit down with my sisters to determine who was at fault or decide on which party I would defend depending on their case. These mediating and negotiating skills that I have acquired throughout my childhood has since enabled me to become a better speaker, negotiator, and has developed my people skills exponentially. I did not know at that age that I would one day pursue a law degree, but looking back at my childhood now has shown me how great of a lawyer I will be one day.
My childhood was different, and this in turn shaped the way I viewed the world. My three sisters and I grew up on a farm in south Florida. As a result, I grew up to be a hardworking individual that is not afraid to get her hands dirty. I know the value of a days’ worth of hard work and am willing to do anything to get the job done. This hardworking attitude has enabled me to be #2 in my law school class.
I learned from a young age to give back to my community in order to make it prosperous. During college, I spent my summers counseling to at risk youth with the His House orphanage and Susan B. Anthony organization. I found this experience extremely rewarding because it gave me a chance to connect with children that, even though seemed to have lost everything, were so full of life. This, in turn, gave me a different perspective on life and has made me grateful for everything I have.
In the end, the skills and experiences that I have gained throughout my lifetime have set me apart from my peers. My differences have made me into the person I am today, will help me on my journey through life, and will one day make me an amazing lawyer. With this Scholarship I hope to become that amazing attorney one day.”
– Thalia Garcia