Fall 2025 Winner of the Pillars of Justice Scholarship

Arthur

Arthur’s definition of tenacity is largely influenced by his parents’ journey of immigrating to the United States. Congratulations, Arthur, we appreciate your insights and determination!

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Tenacity is the quality or fact of being very determined and is the state of holding on to an idea or a thing very strongly. Ever since I was young I had this feeling within myself to help others, as I grew up I realized studying law would be my route to help other people. Combining how I was raised, what I am doing now, and what I hope to accomplish in the future will hopefully show my tenacious spirit toward studying law. It will also show my strong will in helping people with problems they have in their life personally and legally.

The willpower that I have comes from my parents and the struggles they went through in their lifetime. My parents were born and raised in the villages of Nigeria. There was no mass organized education as there is in the United States at the time. They grew up poor and with the dreams of wanting better for their immediate and future family. My father's family had no medicine for when someone would get sick or any modern technology. My mother's family didn't have any of the luxuries that they had in the USA. As far as they can remember it was a subconscious battle from their adolescence, to be successful and take care of their family and give back to their community in the village. So they continued to struggle and eventually got the opportunity to make their dreams come true by coming to the United States at the turn of the new century.

When they got here they had to adapt to completely new ideas that were thrown at them. They had to convince a stranger to allow them to sleep on their garage floor, without even a bed, for months. To make their dreams come true, of supporting their family and legacy, they had to undergo such extreme conditions. Another challenge was that they had to improve the way they spoke English and they had to take the TOEFL exam. I can only imagine how it felt to go through the day, not really understanding what people are saying to you. But once again my parents had the tenacity to conquer the language barrier and master English.

Another hurdle that they had to deal with was that they had to find a job to take care of themselves and their first 2 children. They had no social security or papers when they got here, so it made things more trivial for them in order to sustain themselves and make money. My parents didn't go to school immediately, they started working a minimal job in order to provide. They finally got into university and had to take out student loans in order to pay for their years in school. With the hard work and dedication of my mother and father, they finally mustered up enough money to rent a small apartment. Then, finally, I was born into the world, born with the same tenacity my parents have and ran with it.

I was born on September 7th in the year 2001, and the world was transitioning into the start of the new century. My parents were still struggling to take care of 3 children at the time. Growing up as a kid my parents tried to provide everything they possibly could for us, to be able to have a good childhood and be successful. Even after them trying their best at the time, we still struggled a lot throughout my childhood. I remember getting clothes donations from a church in order to have a semblance of a wardrobe. Growing up I didn't have the luxury for many years to buy back-to-school clothes or supplies. Together with my brothers, we had no choice but to share all of our supplies to make it through school. There wasn't a serious abundance of food at times growing up, so we did not go out to eat but stayed inside cooking.

I remember coming back from school and finishing up my homework while my mom had to finish her own homework after returning from her job. Sometimes, after helping me study, it would reach past midnight and we both had to wake up in the morning to do it again. Times got especially hard when my parents gave birth to my two younger siblings. There became more responsibilities for all of us and we had more people to feed. The struggles that I went through gave me the tenacity to make things better for the ones I love most. I wanted to see my parents comfortable and have peace for once, and I wanted to make sure my siblings are successful as well. So I worked hard and put in a fight with everything I did.

During the years I was active in sports, I strived to become the best track and field athlete out there. I was a hurdler for a good portion of my track and field career. I also studied hard and passed all my classes throughout my years in school. I applied hard work and dedication to everything I put my mind to. Whether it be volunteering or working my minimum wage job. I have always had the power within myself to keep on fighting and make the burden light for others that I care about. I have always had the quality of being very determined and holding on to my goals very strongly. It's similar to when I was a hurdler, I was constantly going over barriers in order to reach the finish line and win the race. I feel like I am in the same position and I am constantly going over barriers in order to reach my goal of becoming an attorney.

Being of African Descent is already really difficult and it is even more grueling to become an attorney. 5 percent of lawyers are black and within that group, only 4.7 percent of lawyers are black men. I know if I can become a lawyer, I can add to the percentage of black lawyers, diversifying the legal profession in a positive light. I have done a multitude of volunteer hours for the VA Hospital. In the hospital, we learn to take care of the people that served our country and protected us. It builds character and the ability to have respect. I learned through volunteering that we should take care of people that lack the ability to take care of themselves. Similarly, as a lawyer, I would have to take care of the people that lack the ability to take care of themselves legally. I also volunteered for my undergraduate university at FIU assisting fellow students in moving into the campus, and building a sense of helping the community through networking and hard work. I have worked a driving job for DoorDash and I have worked a food service position for Chicken Salad Chick. Through working for food service, I have learned how it feels to put in long hours and hard work to achieve the goal of completing a task assigned to me. I am also a member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity at FIU. This organization has opened my eyes to a family of future lawyers and practicing attorneys. It has helped me understand what law school will be like through mentorship with fellow peers and guest speakers as well as educating me on how to hone my experiences within the law field and university department. I have also managed to receive my insurance license in the state of Florida.

The reason why I want to become an attorney is to be able to help people that are wrongfully convicted and have a part in making a better tomorrow. The reason I chose this specific profession was that I was inspired by people such as Thurgood Marshall who found his passion through being a great debater and public speaker just like me. Marshall making history for becoming the first African American on the Supreme Court also inspires me to provide a good history for African Americans in the legal field. Another person was Cicero, and his ability to talk to a crowd with such passion and confidence. That encourages me to be bold and have the ability to always stand my ground no matter how much resistance is against me. They give me hope that you can come out on top in the legal world and make a significant difference to the people we represent. The profession will also teach me about the law of the land. It will also teach me some things that I did not know before and it can better instruct me on what to say or do in a serious situation. The legal profession would also give me a lot of connections to different pathways that could possibly come to the rescue in the future. Hard work and the zeal to succeed have always been the motto I stand by in my everyday life. The saying my mother said to me, “After traveling thousands of miles, we're not going back empty-handed” will stay with me forever. It gives me the tenacity to keep moving forward and fighting for anything I want to accomplish in my life all.