A native of , Johndrea has always aspired to be an attorney, but after having children she gave up on the dream.

鈥淚鈥檝e always known I wanted to be an attorney,鈥� Johndrea says. 鈥淏ut after having kids, I sort of gave up on the dream. Becoming a mom meant that all of my focus went to my children, and for a while, it just never seemed to be the right time to pursue the dream.鈥�

Instead, Johndrea put her degree in sociology to work as a family service worker for ), working to help aid and rehabilitate families in crisis. Ultimately, it was her work in this field that led her back to her dream of becoming an attorney.

鈥淲orking for DCFS really helped me to see the ins and outs of the family court system,鈥� she says. 鈥淎s a family service worker, I often felt discouraged by the lack of representation and advocacy that my clients received; that gave me the extra push to be the change I wanted to see and reignited my fire to become an attorney.鈥�

With the support of her own family, Johndrea started law school in 2021. And though being a single parent added to the already rigorous journey of becoming an attorney, Johndrea says receiving the scholarship is a reminder that none of her hard work is in vain.

鈥淭o know that other single mothers have gone ahead of me and are supportive of my journey to become a lawyer is breathtaking,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 am so very grateful, and I hope to give this feeling to many more single mothers in the future.鈥�

The scholarship, named in honor of the dedication and accomplishment of Bowen alumna Jennifer Carson (鈥�05), is awarded each year to a student who is a single parent. In addition to a one-time monetary award to aid in the costs of their studies, recipients of the scholarship are offered practical and emotional support from the scholarship鈥檚 committee members, many of whom are lawyers who were also single parents while in law school, to encourage them while they balance the demands of law school and the responsibilities of parenting.

鈥淲e were impressed by her perseverance 鈥� and her clear determination to complete her law studies,鈥� says Jessie Burchfield, Associate Dean of Information & Technology Services and Law Library Director, and member of the Jennifer Carson Scholarship Committee 鈥淭he committee voted unanimously to award the scholarship to Johndrea.鈥�

The post Tatum Awarded 2023-2024 Jennifer Carson Single Parent Scholarship appeared first on News.

鈥淚 am excited to start this new chapter of my career,鈥� Raymo said. 鈥淥riginally, I thought that I wanted to be a broadcast journalist, but I fell in love with public relations and strategic communication. I am excited to start sharing Bowen鈥檚 powerful story with the world.鈥�

Before joining the law school, Raymo served as a public information officer at the Arkansas Department of Human Services, where she worked with the agency鈥檚 Division of Children and Family Services. Additionally, she previously worked as a communications specialist with Girl Scouts.

A native of Hot Springs and graduate of Lakeside High School, Raymo earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in strategic communication with an emphasis in public relations and advertising as well as a master鈥檚 degree in strategic communication from Arkansas State University.

The law school is also a perfect fit for Raymo as she has not yet finished her education and has plans to join Bowen鈥檚 part-time law degree program. Afterwards, she would like to practice communication law focusing on copyright, trademarks, and patents.

鈥淚 have always been interested in law school, but it never seemed feasible for me until now,鈥� Raymo said. 鈥淚 was one of only a handful of Black students in my high school class, and I鈥檓 a first-generation college graduate. I don鈥檛 remember seeing any lawyers that looked like me, so it seemed like a far-fetched dream. Now, after securing both a bachelor鈥檚 and a master鈥檚 degree, I wholeheartedly believe that if you put your mind to something, it will happen.鈥�

The post Raymo Named New Director of Communications at William H. Bowen School of Law appeared first on News.