Thirteen previously incarcerated students graduated with certificates in paralegal studies from Georgetown University Law Center on Sept. 25.
Thirteen previously incarcerated students graduated with certificates in paralegal studies from Georgetown University Law Center on Sept. 25.
The students are the fifth cohort of the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs (MORCA)- Georgetown Paralegal Program, a program which prepares formerly incarcerated individuals for careers in law. These individuals spent 24 weeks in the program learning how to conduct legal research, writing skills and various fields of law. Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative (PJI), which aims to help those impacted by mass incarceration, has organized the program since 2019.
Maya Hambrick (CAS ’22), the program’s manager, said the program prepares students for successful careers as paralegals in Washington, D.C.
“Over 60 fellows have graduated from the program and each year we continue to forge new partnerships with law firms and other agencies in the DMV,” Hambrick wrote to The Hoya.“We have multiple alumni at organizations such as the DC Office of the Attorney General and Legal Aid DC.”
Hambrick said the program has continued to grow over the years, with this year receiving over 150 applications, a record number.
“To meet this growing interest, we knew we had to incorporate new, innovative approaches to enhance the program and meet the needs of this cohort,” Hambrick wrote to The Hoya. “We incorporated workshops from the Georgetown Writing Center, extensive digital literacy training and a more expansive Legal Grammar course.”
Mark Ford, one of the graduates and class representatives, spoke at the graduation ceremony and said he was enthusiastic to speak and to participate in the program.
“I was honored and a little nervous, somewhat not knowing how I can fit our whole experience into just five minutes,” Ford told The Hoya. “And to tell not just my story, because it wasn’t about me, it was the whole cohort’s experience.”
Hambrick said Ford’s speech emphasized the importance of reentry programs.
“Mark’s story highlighted the transformative power of the program and showed why such initiatives are crucial for helping individuals like him successfully reintegrate into society and build confidence after facing the challenges of the justice system,” Hambrick wrote.
Ford said that throughout the program’s rigorous term — students spent six days a week and seven hours a day learning — Georgetown offered continuous support.
“Georgetown was really there for us. It was not just, ‘Okay, you in the program, now you on your own, pull yourself up by your boots’ — no, they really cared,” Ford said.
Another graduate, Mark Davis, said Georgetown has helped him to find increased stability, including with rental assistance to get an apartment.
“I never had so many good things happening all at once before,” Davis wrote to The Hoya. “It is impossible for me not to see the improvements.”
At the ceremony, Jake Tapper, CNN’s lead D.C. anchor, served as the keynote speaker. Tapper brought program graduate CJ Rice’s wrongful conviction to media attention after his father, Theodore Tapper, helped prove that Rice was innocent.
Hambrick said Tapper’s speech discussed the importance of reentry programs in providing opportunities for formerly incarcerated people.
“He also emphasized that this program is one of many steps toward creating better outcomes for both formerly and currently incarcerated individuals, a message that the audience met with much appreciation and support,” Hambrick wrote.
Davis said that the graduation ceremony filled him with happiness.
“I could not stop smiling,” Davis wrote. “It also meant a lot to share the day with my cohort, as well as the staff who willingly and lovingly helped us day after day throughout the whole process.”
Davis said the most meaningful part of the ceremony was having his support system witness his progress. Twenty of Davis’s family members attend the graduation, some flying in from out of town.
“A lot of times they saw my struggles throughout those 24 weeks,” Davis wrote. “It had a powerful impact on them to see me not give up and keep pushing through.”
For graduates like Davis, the MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program is an opportunity for growth and self reflection.
“It also gives me confidence to know I can keep facing challenges down the road and come out better on the other side,” Davis wrote. “I proved to myself I can dig down deep and accomplish whatever I set out to, no matter how difficult. That feels awesome to me.”
“But, I also proved it to my family; they know I can be trusted to do the right things and make the best of myself now,” Davis added. “To me, that feels even better.”