A b o v e , S t u d e n t s r e c e i v es w e a t s h i r t s a n ds w e a t p a n t s f r o mA l u m n u s J i b r i E a s t e r ' 1 0

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During the student holiday party this past December,Alumnus Jibri Easter ‘10 returned to LO to bestow someholiday cheer upon the current student body, a collection offashionably designed sweatpants and sweatshirts from hisown streetwear clothing company, EasterxSunday. Thestudents were thrilled to connect with an alumnussuccessfully achieving his entrepreneurial dream, not tomention getting to take home some of the swag.

NEWSLETTER

LO Alumnus, Jibri Easter, Gives Back in a Very Fly Way

Legal Outreach ALUMNI

EasterxSunday.com

Jibri gives credit to the discipline and a “no excuses mindset” which LO instilled as keyfactors that led to the creation of his company. That mindset, complemented by a strongLO work ethic, motivated him to become an entrepreneur. He reflected,

In starting his career, Jibri was not interested in a 9-5 officejob and strove for something “beyond the suit and tie”profession. He focused his passion on developing a streetwearcollection that connected to his community. “EasterxSundaywas created to evoke a certain feeling of ‘flyness’ achieved bywearing something that makes you feel confident in yourself.”Through his collection, Jibri seeks to remind people of thehistory of Black families in America who would put on theirSunday Best for the annual pilgrimage to church on Easter. Heimagines the children who would put on their new clothes,possibly the only new clothes they would receive that year,and would feel connected to their identity. As Jibri explains,

“LO’s strict program requirements taught me the discipline required to take

control of my life and steer it in the direction of my choice. It’s not easy but I

realized that anything you let get in the way of what you say you want is an

excuse. You have to make sacrifices if you say you really want something.”

“It’s about exhibiting pride in your appearance and

pride in who you are. Wealth is of the mind, not the

pocket. And if my clothes can stimulate that pride,

especially in kids, then I feel fulfilled.”

Jibri’s goal in making the donation and sharing his story was“to broaden students’ minds and expose them to differentopportunities.” While he truly appreciates all the toolsprovided by LO, Jibri says “I could have benefited from havinga role model that chose a less traditional career path. Bysharing my story, I believe that I am serving as another type ofrole model for what they can become.” So do we, Jibri, so do we. To check out Jibri’s Collection, Go to EasterxSunday.com!

By sharing mystory, I believe

that I amserving as

another type ofrole model forwhat they can

become.

Alumni Return for Fireside Chat and Light UpCurrent CB Students' Motivation to Pursueand Prepare for CollegeOn January 9th, LO Alumni returned toreunite with current College Boundstudents and share words of wisdom duringthe annual Fireside Chat. Thirty-fouralumni participated in a panel discussionwith the entire student body, sharing theirperspectives on how Legal Outreach hadprepared them for college academics andcollege life.  The alumni were then split intosmaller groups to address important topicspertaining to each grade level. Thefreshman panel shared their excitementabout college and what it means for theirfuture; the sophomore panel providedsuggestions on how high schoolsophomores can best position themselvesto gain admission to competitive colleges;the junior panel discussed the final pushbefore applying to college; and the seniorpanel gave advice on how to prepare forthe academic and social transition tocollege.

LO’s current students were motivated by the alumni to further dedicate themselves tothe LO curriculum in order to achieve their college dreams and were encouraged totake advantage of the support that the organization offers.  One freshman wasenlightened by an alumna’s commitment to LO during her time in the program. “Hercomments really opened my eyes to the benefits LO provides in preparing us forcollege. And though it’s a lot of work, the programs are here to prepare us, not hinderus.” Although multiple students acknowledged the rigor of the program, they wereencouraged by the endorsement of the program from the alumni. One student stated,“All the hard work will prove useful in the long run. Hearing from the alumni made merealize how much LO is offering and how much more I need to do. I will definitely workharder over the next few years.”

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR ALUMNI WHOCAME TO THIS YEAR'S FIRESIDE CHAT!

Ismelda Mejia ‘19, Skidmore CollegeMaleyah Peterson ‘17, Swarthmore CollegeNana Yaw Ofori ‘18, Syracuse UniversityLalon Shoeb ‘19, CUNY Hunter CollegeGenesis De Los Santos ‘19, Columbia UniversityMya Singh Johal ‘19, Cornell UniversityLittle Azeez ‘19, CUNY NYC College of TechnologyPriscilla Asamoah ‘17, CUNY Lehman CollegeJelani Simms ‘19, Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeChaimaa Riad ‘16, Smith CollegeNaomi Pina Garcia ‘19, Franklin and Marshall CollegeSarae Perez ‘18, Cazenovia CollegeSamuel Sylvestre ‘19, University of RochesterMikka Legaspi ‘19, College of Mount Saint VincentAmardeep Banga ‘19, CUNY Hunter CollegeBria Royer ‘19, Marist CollegeJoshua Cherry ‘18, Skidmore College

Ava Celeste-Dujon ‘17, Smith CollegeBilal Mohammed ‘19, Wesleyan UniversityLuna Rodriguez ‘19, CUNY Baruch CollegeNdeye Ndione ‘19, CUNY Hunter CollegeKaren Boateng ‘19, Tufts UniversityEvelyn Ramdhanie ‘19, Cornell UniversityThursday Williams ‘19, Trinity CollegeStorm Lewis ‘17, Smith CollegeMeki Chambers ‘19, University of HartfordMichaela Shelton ‘17, Pomona CollegeFarraz Younes ‘18, CUNY BaruchMarissa Campiz ‘19, Cornell UniversityClaudene Roye ‘17, University of RochesterKyara Lomax ‘17, Allegheny CollegeGiovanni Luke ‘19, College of Mount Saint VincentPatrick Casimir ‘19, CUNY BaruchAjani Scott ‘16, NY Institute of Technology