On Tues., April 30, Parsons Behle & Latimer (Parsons) welcomed a sixth-grade class from Title I school Meadowlark Elementary. The class is taught by John Arthur (referred to by his class as “Captain,”) and mentored by Parsons’ attorneys Jazmynn B. Pok and Andres F. Morelli through the student mentoring program at the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion (UCLI). Pok is the president of Parsons’ Attorneys of Color Affinity Group. She says, “It is amazing to witness the progress these kids make during the year with writing, presentation and articulating arguments, but also their confidence in engaging with attorneys. When the students start asking questions about life and work as an attorney, I am filled with joy as I see the wheels turning, envisioning themselves standing up in front of a courtroom arguing for something they believe in. Getting to know the kids and their families at home made it very clear that face-to-face mentorship can make a significant difference in their confidence, aspirations and day-to-day work ethic.”
After hearing Arthur speak about his class, the class’s mentors and a recent visit to the federal courthouse while attending a UCLI fundraising luncheon, Parsons’ attorney Katherine E. Venti invited the students and Arthur to visit Parsons for discussions about what lawyers do, different areas of the law and to answer any questions from the students. UCLI, which Parsons helped co-found, began the student mentoring program in 2019. Morelli became one of its first volunteer mentors. He can be seen at the end of the linked article. Pok started mentoring Captain’s Meadowlark 6th graders during the pandemic.
The students, chaperones and Arthur rode TRAX downtown to Parsons Salt Lake City office where attorneys met with the students and gave presentations about different practice areas of law including, intellectual property (Juliette P. White), products liability (Venti), Family Law (Nicole Salazar Hall) bankruptcy (Brian M. Rothschild) and litigation (Nathan D. Thomas - pictured below). The students were treated to lunch, after which they were taken on a tour of Parsons’ 15th floor to view a law firm setting.
Morelli says, “I have been mentoring Captain Arthur’s sixth-grade class for the past four or so years. Each year, I get the chance to meet these young, bright, new minds and help mentor them, thanks to Captain Arthur and the Utah Center for Legal Inclusion. I can’t help but see myself in these kids and think about how impactful it would have been for me to not only see—but interact and establish a friendship with—a lawyer that “looks” like me. UCLI’s Mentoring Task Force and the Meadowlark Mentoring program in particular are so meaningful and fulfilling. You can just see the wheels turning in these kids’ heads when they not only hear, but see, that someone “like them” really can be anything they want when they grow up–even an attorney or judge.”
