Happy New Year, Honey Bees! It’s been awhile since my last post, but I have a few announcements to share before we fully embark on Chapter 2018. First and foremost, I intend to incorporate more video content for The Honeycomb Suite, mainly vlogs and interviews with fellow bloggers, creatives, movers, and shakers! In addition to these updates, I also plan to add a new section to my blog: 'Eats in the Suite". Of course these new projects will take time to develop, so please be patient with me. In the meantime, I will continue delivering posts for the #TuneInThursdays, #SultrySundays, and #NoShadeJustHonesty series, as well as spotlighting those who captivate me with their content, which brings me into the subject of today’s post! Over the holiday break, I had the opportunity to interview a dear peer of mine, Jeffrey Jordan. Jeff and I have known each other ever since high school; to be more specific, we were in the same Creative Writing class. Here’s a brief bio about the man behind “The Barrister’s Review”: Jeffrey M. Jordan II is a 22-year-old native of Smithfield, Virginia. In 2013, he graduated from Smithfield High School with honors, competing as a student-athlete in both basketball and cross-country. Upon graduating from high school, Jordan was recruited to play basketball at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. After a year stint in upstate New York, he transferred to Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. While at Sarah Lawrence, Jordan was a captain, 2-time award-winning athlete in basketball, two-time Diversity Committee Student Representative while, served as a ESL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Teaching Assistant Volunteer at the Riverside Language Program and acted in a few school productions. He was a legal assistant at My Sister’s Place and The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Newport News, VA. He graduated in 2017 with honors from Sarah Lawrence concentrating in politics and writing. He was also named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Honors Court during his senior year. Jordan was admitted and received a scholarship to attend The University of Pittsburgh School of Law where he is currently a 1L law school student. He is an aspiring entertainment attorney, actor, writer, public speaker and community leader. Impressive, right? When Jeffrey isn’t burying his head in the books, he spends his free time blogging and songwriting. My interview with him was everything I imagined it would be: introspective, enlightening, and compelling. Jeff’s wisdom about life exceeds the years of his existence in this world, and he is quite the savant when it comes to balancing obligations and dreams. The following is the transcript from the interview: KW: Explain the meaning behind your blog’s name, The Barrister’s Review. How did it come to be? JJ: The Barrister’s Review came about because I was looking for something that was innovative, and where I could express [who I am] as well as push for my goal of creating more diversity for students of color and graduate programs all across the board, not just law school. I wanted to shed a light on the real truth behind law school because I heard a lot of myths and opinions about it when I applied during my sophomore year. The tough part [behind creating The Barrister’s Review] was portraying it objectively rather than subjectively, meaning to not solely gauge my own personal experiences but incorporate those of my classmates/peers. KW: As a peer and fellow college student, I sometimes find it difficult to find balance between academics, work, family obligations, and curating content for my blog. How do you, a 1L Law student, balance your academic obligations with your creative passions? JJ: I would like to start off by saying that it hurts. The reason I say that is because the legal profession is so rigid, it's so "right" [not comparing it to conservatism] and my creative outlet is leaning toward the left. One thing about [law school] is that it's intense; the professors dictate the flow of the classes and your entire grade is based on your final exam. On one end I feel like a lot of things are out of my control, and on the other end I have total control over my blog. My art feeds my energy, and if I wasn't doing [The Barrister's Review], I would've had a more difficult time pushing through the semester. The reason why is because there are a lot of hidden battles that people don't see; they only see the outcome or what's on the surface level. I feel that blogging opens the door for creativity in the classroom. I may learn some things about myself that I wasn't aware of, or I may learn some things about my peers by discussing the topics that I've covered in blog posts. That's one of the reasons I created [The Barrister's Review], to engage with people and receive feedback. KW: In your "It Depends" post, you mention that law school is "not about being 100% right", rather what is the law. For some of us, we can argue that life has a tendency to operate the same way according to the laws of God or the "Universe". What advice can you give to those who often feel cheated by the "laws" of life? Do you personally feel such laws exist? JJ: I would say that [feeling cheated] is a totally valid feeling because I've felt the same on several occasions. Some people have asked me "How could you feel that way?", but they don't understand that I've had to fight to get to this point. So for those who feel cheated, it's good to bring those emotions to light. Even though things appear to be moving a snail's pace, you shouldn't lose sight of accomplishing your goals. Never let your current circumstances take your "fire", instead, use them to feed the fire. KW: In addition to writing introspective pieces, you also dabble into songwriting. What/Who inspires your lyrics? If you could write for any artist(s), who would it be? JJ: I take a lot of my inspiration from what I see everyday, as well as everyday people. As for artists that I really admire, it would have to be J. Cole [for his lyricism], and Kanye West [for his visual representation]. If I could write for someone, it would have to be Kendrick [Lamar]. KW: What are some lessons that you learned from 2017 that you've brought with you into 2018? JJ: I've learned that it's ok for people not to get you (or understand you), to eliminate my distractions, to maximize my full potential, and that not everyone is for you. I've also gained strength through solitude. *The content of this interview has been edited. ~~~ You can check out "The Barrister's Review" here: thebarristersreview.wixsite.com/thebarristersreview To keep up with Jeff, follow him on IG: @mr.jeffjordan
2 Comments
Kanora B❤️
2/11/2018 12:14:01 pm
Amazing, very influential guy. Just as i remembered him.
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Kyra
2/12/2018 09:20:30 am
Indeed! ☺️
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Author23 years old. Aspiring Social Media Consultant/Manager. Mass Communications major at Norfolk State University. Lover of God, food, wine. and good times. Archives
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