Andaiye is a fellow in the LEAP program and started working with magnificent mentor Eden in February when our current fellowship program began. We’re pleased to profile these two impressive women during Women’s History Month.
Andaiye always knew she wanted to be an attorney. She attends Cal Poly Pomona and has been an Immigrant Justice Leader for the last two years. “The history of this county has shown me time and time again that the only effective way to fight the oppression that affects marginalized communities is through the law. As an aspiring attorney, I want to use the law as a tool to advance our communities.”
Eden is a first-year student at Loyola Law School who is mentoring Andaiye as part of the LEAP Fellowship. About her experience so far, Eden shared, “As a mentor, I learned that there is exponential power in simply showing up for someone who needs you, and that is what I hope to bring to the Legal Education Access Pipeline. I am ready and excited to show up for the students in [LEAP]. I am ready, and willing, to pay forward all of the assistance, encouragement, and consistency that I have received from mentors throughout my entire life. Thank you for the opportunity to do just that, and to be considered as mentor in your program.”
Recently, Eden invited Andaiye to Loyola to sit in on her Property Law class with Professor Theodore Seto and it had a profound impact on Andaiye. “As a first-gen student, I’ve never sat in or really even experienced a law school campus on a typical weekday, honestly, I had no idea what to expect and was a bit intimidated but overall it was a very interesting experience being in the hustle and bustle of campus and sitting in on my first law school class. I see why it’s so necessary to come to class prepared and having done your readings! Overall, I enjoyed the experience, the material was a little heavy/dense, but Eden did a great job letting me look over her notes and the book (which was really heavy) to try to follow along. The experience gave me a really realistic glimpse into what the day of a law school student looks like, what the campus experience is like and I’m really grateful for it.”
In addition to workshops and hands-on experiences, the relationships and exposure that LEAP Fellows gain by working with caring mentors can help them immensely. We’re so grateful to have a mentor like Eden supporting LEAP’s Fellows this year!
