(From Left to Right): Mauricio Benavides, Chibundu Nnake, Derrick Raphael, and Tremaine "Teddy" Reese

"Sometimes I romance the thought of leaving it all behind..." ~ Kanye West

Life as a Chair can be grueling and tiresome (shout out to the Regional Chairs), but it also has numerous perks. I have the chance to work with great people who are passionate about doing everything they can to diversify the legal profession.

I also get to spend countless hours on the phone speaking with some of the best members that I have ever encountered about our job fairs and hear the excitement in their voice as I explain the registration process. Finally, I am blessed with the opportunity to improve my typing skills as a result of the numerous emails and letters that I must produce on a seemingly daily basis. All of those things are wonderful and I do enjoy them all differently. But one of my favorite perks has to be speaking with our members, potential members, and Pre-Law Students.

I recently had this opportunity while attending the Achieving Success in the Application Process (ASAP) Seminar weekend in Atlanta hosted by the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO). This was a great opportunity to speak with college students about the law school application process and the different methods they can employ when selecting the best law school for their future. It was also an opportunity to publicize our Pre-Law Division, Fellows Program, Pre-Law Mock Trial Competition, and scholarships. Many of them were excited to hear from the numerous panelists, and I although I will not be in school by the time that they enroll, I was touched to see the fire in their eyes, as I spoke to them, individually, about why they wanted to pursue the law as a career.

CLEO has another program called Attitude is Essential (AIE), held the same weekend, which focuses on preparing the mindset of those entering law school in the fall. I am a CLEO Scholar and was a member of the AIE Class of 2007 (LA), and this program was an eye-opener for me as I was readying myself for my first year of school. I enjoy "Paying it Forward," so having the chance to speak with students in a frank manner about my experience thus far was very rewarding for me. The name of our panel was called "Law School Uncensored," and three other extremely distinguished gentlemen joined me on the panel. They were Derrick Raphael (3L Duke-CLEO Law Student Leadership Network, National Advisor 2011-2012), Mauricio Benavides (3L Indiana-American Bar Association (ABA): Business Law Section, Liaison 2011-2012), and Tremaine Reese (3L FAMU-ABA Law Student Division, Chair 2011-2012) (4th African American in their history and the first ever from an HBCU). We spoke candidly about the first year of law school and determining your own definition of "success." We also made sure that the students knew that the first year of law school "was not a game!" The students were eager and asked very good questions. Its exciting to know that there are some regions and schools who will have some very eager and excited BLSA members on their hands. It was a very long weekend, but well worth it in the end. I wanted to be Chair to make a difference. I hope that I was able to accomplish that that weekend.

So Chapter Presidents, Membership, Pre-Law students, and other partners, if there is an event where you would like me or another member of the National Board to speak, please let us know! We would love to attend the event and share some words with your audience. Please visit our Speakers Bureau for more information and to make a request.