Senior Shante’ Harding’s time at NDCL has been filled with many adventures. Whether she is playing basketball, running track or participating as a member of the Link Crew program (a group that helps introduce freshmen to high school life), she is always interested in pursuing new and diverse opportunities in her life.
The 2014 summer for Shante’ was no different. While other incoming seniors may have been enjoying the pool or beach time, Shante’ attended the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Summer Legal Academy. The program, now in its 10th year, takes place in downtown Cleveland and is coordinated by a collaboration including the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, Norman S. Minor Bar Association, Case Western Reserve University School of Law and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
The goal of the internship is to introduce promising African-American high school students from both Cleveland inner-city and suburban schools to different aspects of the legal profession, since they are woefully underrepresented in the court system. At least 20 to 25 seniors, who were nominated for the opportunity, participated in a two-week, full day internship from Monday, June 16 through Friday, June 27. The students, under the supervision of lawyers and judges, went through all parts of a court trial, from the initial discovery and interview phase, to the development of the case’s prosecution and defense. All of their work eventually led to a Mock Trial.
Shante’ loved all the different facets of constructing a case that would be strong enough to eventually come to trial. Throughout each day she did various tasks such as finding case numbers, researching dockets, or reading about issues relevant to her case. Shante’ worked in the prosecutor’s office, a job she preferred over working for the defense, and felt the program certainly left her with a renewed compassion for others. “The problems of domestic violence, especially in Cleveland, really opened my eyes,” Shante said. “It is such a serious problem.” The internship inspired her so profoundly that she wants to make law her career. “I’d like to work on the prosecution side, maybe even in corporate law.” As she anticipates heading to Howard University in Washington, DC after graduation , Shante’ is glad she used her summer wisely. “It was a fantastic experience,” she smiles, “it changed my life.”