The junior class visited the offices of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld for a breakfast and a discussion with Civil Rights Leader and former presidential advisor Vernon Jordan. After introducing himself to each of the scholars, Mr. Jordan began by addressing the significance of this presidential election. He referred to the current election as historical and groundbreaking, in the sense that for the first in history there is an African American man and a woman vying for a presidential candidacy.

In an effort to illustrate the importance of this historical moment, Mr. Jordan spent time discussing Senators Hillary Clinton’s and Barak Obama’s campaigns, while at the same time chronicling the efforts of past civil rights heroes and suffragists who fought long and hard for equal opportunity.

Mr. Jordan also shared his personal life story. He discussed the difficulties that he experienced when he moved away from home for the first time as a college student as well as the discrimination he faced when applying for jobs. These stories were not intended to discourage the scholars from pursuing their goals, but instead to remind them of the opportunities that are available as a result of the hardships that our ancestors have overcome.