Faulkner University ‘s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law recently announced that their Ernestine S. Sapp Chapter of Black Law Students Association (BLSA) was named as the National BLSA Medium Chapter of the Year.

BLSA at Faulkner University ‘s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law was established to address the community and political concerns surrounding minority law students.

Last week, BLSA held its annual dinner where the announcement was celebrated.

The 2018-2019 BLSA president and Selma native, Donavon McGuire, will be graduating in May and said being recognized was a team effort.

“Receiving this recognition is a great honor, but it is really a team effort of past and present members and those who have supported us along the way,” said McGuire. “Being at the national conference where universities from across the nation were represented including Ivy League schools and to hear our name called was amazing. Just to have the platform where our chapter and Jones School of Law was recognition speaks volumes for JSL’s and Faulkner’s support of minority students.”

McGuire said the chapter went a new direction this year and focused everything they did as a chapter around family.

“We wanted every activity to be centered on supporting students’ needs both academically and overall personal wellness especially including those who didn’t live here locally,” he said.

He hopes to return to Selma after graduation as an “agent of justice and change.”

“I want to show the young men in the community who are minorities that they can change the narrative,” said McGuire. “Maybe seeing me as a lawyer can help them envision themselves as lawyers too and that yes, they can achieve that for themselves.”