Generational Hope

Born the granddaughter of sharecroppers from the Deep South, she grew up hearing stories of how her grandmother couldn’t finish high school because the Colored school was too far away to afford transportation, and how all three of her other grandparents needed to drop out of school to pick cotton.

“My grandpa was the definition of hard working, he made a way for his family without being able to read and write and was able to start his own small business cleaning construction sites and selling scrap metal, on top of working two other jobs for his family.”

This hard work paved the way for her own parents to both earn their college degrees. Her mother then rose from a clerk typist position at the local public housing authority to its executive director over a 40-year career. Her father was a reverend and pastor who juggled ministry with a full-time job. Both taught her the importance of serving others, especially the most vulnerable. Now, Joele sees herself carrying the torch.

“I understand that I've had a level of privilege that very, very few people who look like me have,” Joele reflected. "My parents always said, if you're a janitor, be the best janitor you can be. Meaning, be a hard worker, and wherever that leads you, do it with integrity."

After earning dual degrees at Miami University of Ohio—a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Social Justice Studies with a concentration in Community Engagement—she worked at Peaslee Neighborhood Center, a non-profit deeply rooted in social justice and community empowerment located in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine, an area with a complex history of gentrification and community activism. There she led campaigns to preserve public spaces from erasure, knocked on doors, and listened to the stories of the people who lived there.

It was these stories of attorneys–who looked like her—on the front lines, fighting for education equity, for civil rights, for justice, that sparked something in Joele—a belief that she, too, could use the law as a tool for change.

It took time to decide on a plan forward, but after five years in the non-profit sector, Joele applied to law schools. Drawn to the University of Cincinnati College of Law initially for its social justice focus and the Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice, she saw the smaller class sizes and affordability as further selling points. Joele has since found a home in the college's tight-knit community.

“Cincinnati Law tries to cultivate a sense of belonging for everyone,” she said. “The underlying need for diversity doesn’t overshadow the need for belonging and I really appreciate that.”

That sense of belonging extends into the legal community in Cincinnati, where she said she has felt welcomed and supported by other Black attorneys and law firms who are willing to offer students internships and host networking events. One such event with the Black Lawyers Association of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Bar Association is where she connected with Thompson Hine, and eventually landed a summer associate position with the firm.

“I've been afforded this opportunity, and now I have a moral obligation to do something with this knowledge that gives back,” she said. “A moral obligation to be community-driven like my parents, and my grandparents.”

Throughout her journey, Joele has carried with her the stories of the people she’s met, like her family, or the students she taught at Freedom School, the neighbors she worked alongside in Over-the-Rhine, or the community she’s formed as a law student. She is not just on a journey to becoming a lawyer; but a mission to bring justice and equity to those who need it most, guided by the stories and the legacy of the past.

“All of the people who have been in my life mean so much to me. I carry them with me, and they shape my worldview,” she reflected. She hopes someday that those perspectives and stories will shape the kind of lawyer she becomes, and the justice she brings to those she serves. “I want to be a bridge, a point of access, a community-serving presence in a way that brings justice to underrepresented communities. Representation matters. Being a black female lawyer matters.”

Want to learn more about our students and their journey to (and through) law school? Read more stories on the "Meet Our Students" page. See yourself at Cincinnati Law!   

Author: Bachmeyer Press

Photographer: Asa Featherstone IV