Attorney Stephanie Garcia Avelar ’18: "John Jay Gave Me Everything"
Degree: B.A. in Law & Society
Minors: History and Political Science
Programs: Honors Program, Pre-Law Institute, Rising Scholar of Justice
Mentors: Dara Byrne, Ph.D., Greg Donaldson, Jodie Roure, Ph.D., Michael Yarborough, Ph.D.
Internships: Mediator, NYS Attorney General; Legal Administrative Justice Intern, Her Justice; Judicial Intern, Queens Supreme Court Justice Frederick Sampson; Assistant Expeditor, J.W. Consulting
Graduate Degree: Doctor of Law (JD), Notre Dame Law School (2023)
Current Role: Associate Attorney, Rivkin Radler
Hometown: Long Island, NY
What was life like before John Jay College?
I didn’t have an easy upbringing, but I also believe it shaped my path to becoming an attorney. My parents’ substance dependency caused me to be very cognizant of the criminal justice system and notions of rehabilitation from an early age. Becoming a ward of the state at a young age provided me with a baseline understanding of the roles and responsibilities of those involved in my case. These experiences sparked a curiosity in me about the power of the law and the importance of advocacy.
School was my refuge. I remember always being excited to go to class and channeling all my efforts and energy into my schoolwork. I saw education as an escape from my current circumstances. In class, I would think, If I can just get myself into college, I’ll be fine. I’ll be able to get away from this and everything will be okay.
Why John Jay?
I knew I wanted to go to a college that I could afford, so I looked at CUNY colleges in the city that could help propel me to law school. John Jay stood out because of their strong prestige in the field of criminal justice and also due to the numerous majors that would help garner the skills needed to become a lawyer. Thankfully, I was also able to get housing at The Towers, a CUNY residence hall located at City College, so I lived in the city with other CUNY students. It was a wonderful experience.
What sparked your passion for the legal profession?
It was my connection to the legal system as a child that sparked my interest in becoming a lawyer. My experiences left me yearning to learn more about the systems that shaped much of the things going on around me as a young adult. John Jay proved to be the perfect place to provide those answers and offered a robust curriculum focused on themes of humanity, equity, and justice.
How did your journey at John Jay College shape your career goals?
As a student, I witnessed firsthand how the John Jay setting is a space for diverse opinions and respectful conversations. I learned the importance of embracing diversity of thought and making room for others at the table. It’s a lesson I still carry with me, always to make room for diverse opinions, and it’s something that has made me a better student, person, and, hopefully, lawyer.
Being at John Jay also provided me with clarity about what I wanted for my future career. I initially thought I wanted to work with victims of domestic violence, and what I realized in doing that work was that, as much as I loved helping victims, it was also incredibly taxing. I would take home their experiences. What I learned at John Jay was that I can practice law in a variety of ways. I was able to learn a great deal about various areas of law, which I believe makes me a well-rounded lawyer.
How did your John Jay mentors put you on the path to success?
During my first semester at John Jay, one of my first classes was a communications course with Professor Greg Donaldson. I remember feeling so nervous, but then he came into the class with all this exuberance, and he immediately had our attention. He’s a professor who truly sees his students, tries to understand where they come from, and meets them where they are. He taught us how to effectively communicate and convey a message through public speaking, and, in many ways, he taught us how to tackle future challenges. I find myself still quoting him to this day, saying things like “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” when I’m presented with a new challenge, and “embrace the boredom” when things feel routine, because that’s how life goes.
Dr. Yarborough played a vital role in me graduating with a degree in Law & Society. I had my first class with him during my second semester at John Jay. I loved the sociological lens we used to view how a society interprets law, how law works within society, and how the law shapes the world around us. It was an area of focus that fascinated me and, in many ways, felt therapeutic. It helped me understand things about my upbringing more clearly. Beyond that, Dr. Yarborough was like the North Star in my life at the time, guiding me through the undergrad process and continuing to fuel my desire to go to law school. I’ll forever be grateful to him.
I actually met Dr. Roure a few months after I graduated from John Jay. I met her through my boyfriend, now husband, who was in the Ron Brown Prep program (now Rising Scholars of Justice) at the time. She took me on as an unofficial member of the program and set me up with LSAT prep study groups and courses. She also helped me polish my personal statement and writing samples. Dr. Roure was like a mother figure to me, rooting for me, and pushing me to do things that would help me grow into the lawyer I aspired to be. When she reviewed my personal statement, she could see that I wasn’t telling the whole story and pushed me to get into the nitty-gritty. Dr. Roure would also do interview prep with me. Her passion for the law and for her students’ success is so contagious. Dr. Roure’s commitment to helping her students become lawyers through the Rising Scholars of Justice program was a big part of why my husband and I were able to navigate the process of applying to law school.
How did John Jay prepare you for law school?
Dr. Roure helped me secure an internship with Judge Francois Rivera, my summer before law school, where I prepared case briefs and began understanding legal jargon. This experience, combined with many classes I took at John Jay, gave me a baseline understanding of concepts I encountered in law school. Beyond the academic things I learned in my law and sociology courses, John Jay College taught me the importance of advocacy and discourse in the classroom. At John Jay, the idea of respectful discourse is an everyday reality because you are learning from your peers who are coming from different walks of life. I took those various perspectives with me to law school, and it made me a better student.
Where are you working now?
I recently started working as an associate attorney at Rivkin Radler, in affirmative litigation and insurance fraud. I’m really excited to be learning about different areas of practice. It’s a law firm that genuinely cares about people and wants to see their employees grow, so I’m thrilled to be part of the team.
Finish this sentence: Because of John Jay…
I found a passion for law and the path to a career I can be incredibly proud of. Without John Jay College, and the people I met along the way, I don’t know what my life would look like. John Jay gave me the tools and connections to craft the life I once dreamed of. John Jay gave me everything.
