MACON – Mercer University School of Law second-year students Teresa Pardiñas and Christi Moore attended the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Bar Association’s 30th annual Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair held Aug. 8-10 in New York City.
Pardiñas, president of Project Equality at Mercer Law, received the Kay Young Scholarship to attend the conference. The scholarship provides funding to highly accomplished law students to attend Lavender Law.
Pardiñas described her experience at Lavender Law as “memorable.” She spent three days attending workshops, panel discussions, one-on-one career counseling and networking receptions. The career fair hosted more than 300 recruiters, and Pardiñas sat for multiple interviews.
“I was surrounded by other LGBTQ law students and lawyers from across the country, and I left feeling empowered and inspired. It was a great preface for the new semester beginning the following week. I encourage all LGBTQ students to take advantage of this opportunity next year,” Pardiñas said.
Moore is a member of Project Equality and an ally of the LGBT community.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the insightful conversation that was also solution-driven. Oftentimes, when discussing diversity and inclusion, we do not leave with plans and concrete ways to make a difference. However, the workshops and panels at Lavender Law were designed to do just that,” said Moore. “I learned that as an ally there is no room for me to know it all or pretend to understand what my privilege affords me the opportunity to escape. However, I look forward to continuing to learn and grow in that understanding so that I can become an even better ally and supporter.”
The Kay Young Scholarship is provided by the Stonewall Bar Association of Georgia (SBA). SBA was founded in 1995 to develop a coalition of legal workers to utilize their professional expertise to support the rights of the LGBT community and oppose discrimination based on sexual or gender orientation. The scholarship is named in honor of Young, the late SBA board member and accomplished attorney.
The National LGBT Bar Association provides programming, like Lavender Law, for LGBT and ally legal professionals. It aspires to improve the quality of life for LGBT legal practitioners until the time they are recognized without discrimination, stigma or negative bias.
