While in this rut, she searched for mentors. Cincinnati Law’s mentorship program connected her to Susan Grogan-Faller, a now retired member from Frost Brown Todd.
“When we first met, Susan asked how my first year of law school was going. ‘Terrible,’ I told her,” Georgeanna said. “Women faculty and some upper-level women were also helpful in getting me invigorated. I still talk to Susan to this day.”
She also connected with Kenya Faulkner, then general counsel for the University. A simple coffee with Faulkner led to her first clerkship with a judge.
Along with taking courses in international law, it was through these practical experiences, such as clerking for the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas, or participating in Cincinnati Law’s Domestic Violence Clinic, and engaging in an exchange program in Chongqing, China, that Georgeanna ultimately discovered how to fuse her interest in cultural diversity with her legal career.
“Going to Chongqing was the biggest international experience I had while at UC,” she said. “It was an immersive learning experience; we learned a lot during that time.”
Ultimately, the practical experience that made the biggest impact on Georgeanna happened to be an externship in the Ethics and Compliance Department at Kroger. With her background in business management, she was drawn toward corporate law, and compliance was an entirely new career to her.
“I found out that I like compliance; it’s not a traditional legal role where you're representing the company, you’re more like a business partner,” she said. “Cincinnati Law was instrumental in helping me get that placement, which ultimately helped me find the career I’m in today.”
