Members of the University of South Carolina School of Law’s Matthew J. Perry Jr. Chapter of the National Black Law Students Association had much to celebrate as they closed out Black History Month this year. The student organization was honored multiple times during the Southern Region of BLSA’s annual convention and career fair held during the last week of February in Atlanta, Georgia.
The group was named the Southern Region’s 2021-22 Large Chapter of the Year for the third time, following wins in 2019 and 2020. This also puts them in the running for the national Chapter of the Year competition in March.
Additionally, the mock trial team took third place in the Regional Constance Baker Motley Mock Trial Competition. The team, composed of third-year students Deyjenay Gregory and Gabrielle Williams, and second-year students Sulaiman Ahmad and Briana Marshall, will go on to compete in the mock trial competition during the national convention.
Finally, second-year students Whitney Barnes and Jada Wilson were selected to serve on the 52nd Southern Region’s Executive Board for the 2022-23 school year. Barnes will serve as the Joint Chief of Staff and Wilson will be the regional director of the pre-law student division.
Alexis Watson, a third-year student and president of the school’s chapter said she was glad that the group’s hard work this year was recognized.
"Our theme for the year is 'Together We Stand: Expanding Our Reach,' which has served as a constant reminder that we are stronger together. Combining our individual strengths has helped us to: serve the Columbia area through the AVID program and many other community service initiatives; host workshops which catered toward helping our members excel academically and maintain their mental health; partner with other law school organizations to address meaningful topics; and foster new relationships with faculty, staff, alumni, and pre-law students. Winning SRBLSA Large Chapter of the Year was just the icing on the cake."
“We could not be more proud of these students and all of their accomplishments,” says William Hubbard, dean of South Carolina Law. “This is just the beginning of many great things to come, both for these students individually and for this chapter as a whole.”