OFFICERS
The 2017 Executive Board Welcomes You!
Bryant Wright
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Marnishia Jernigan
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Bryant D. Wright is a 2L at Duke University School of Law. Prior to law school, he taught 6th-8th grade Social Studies and English/Language Arts in Brownsville, Brooklyn through Teach For America after receiving his Master of Music degree in Viola Performance. Bryant worked on a Duke Law Innocence Project Active Investigation Team, and was a 1L representative for the Duke Black Law Students Association. He was elected to serve as President of BLSA for the 2017-18 school year. Bryant will earn his J.D. in 2019 from Duke University School of Law. He earned his M.Ed. in 2015 from Relay Graduate School of Education, his M.M. in 2013 from New England Conservatory, and his B.A. in 2012 from Harvard University.
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Marnishia is a 2L from Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from The Ohio State University in 2016 with a double major in Criminology and Political Science. While at OSU, she interned with the Racial Democracy, Crime and Justice Network under Dr. Ruth Peterson. Additionally, Marnishia was a monitor at the OSU Star House, a drop-in center for Columbus’ homeless youth. She also interned with a municipal court judge in Franklin County and clerked at a small private legal practice. This summer, Marnishia worked at Greenberg Traurig in Atlanta. Outside of BLSA, Marnishia serves as the Activism Chair for Duke Black Graduate and Professional Students Association. She has also been involved with the Duke Law Innocence Project and the Duke Law Cancer Pro Bono Project. Marnishia enjoys music, makeup, and daydreaming about having enough free time to raise a pup. She also loves Blue Devil basketball and Buckeye football.
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Bryant's Contact Info:
Email: bryant.wright@duke.edu |
Marnishia's Contact Info:
Email: marnishia.jernigan@duke.edu |
Jennifer Thelusma
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Will Crawford
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Jennifer is a 2L from Miami, Florida. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History and a Public Affairs Certificate. Jennifer spent her 1L summer working at Earthjustice’s Washington, D.C. Litigation Office. In addition to serving as BLSA's Internal Vice President, at Duke Law, Jennifer is also a staff editor on the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum, a member of the Public Interest Law Foundation, a Barbri Representative, and she has worked pro-bono on the Innocence Project and North Carolina Legal Aide’s Lawyer on the Line. In her free time, Jennifer enjoys running, baking, hiking, watching Netflix, and taking a self-guided food tour of Durham.
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Will hails from Flint, Michigan and attended The Ohio State University graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Public Affairs. Notwithstanding the football rivalry, he then returned to his home state to work as an admissions representative at the University of Michigan while obtaining his Master's degree in Higher Education. A former White House intern, Will maintains an abiding interest in politics. At Duke he serves as the External Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association, as a Graduate Student Representative on the Sexual Misconduct Student Task Force, and as an Interscholastic Coordinator of the Moot Court team. In his free time Will enjoys Buckeye football, going to the beach, and snowboarding. He often starts the day with Morning Joe and ends it with Jimmy Kimmel Live. Last summer Will worked at Jones Day - Columbus, Ohio.
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Jennifer's Contact Info:
Email: jennifer.thelusma@duke.edu |
Will's Contact Info:
Email: william.crawford@duke.edu |
Jebril Reeves
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Donald Penn
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Jebril is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from University of Georgia in 2016 with a major in International Affairs. This summer, he became a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, where he worked at Troutman Sanders in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to BLSA, Jebril is involved with the Duke Graduate and Professional Students Association, Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy, and Cancer Pro Bono Project. Jebril also enjoys playing basketball, listening to music, and checking Twitter.
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Donald Penn is a proud Houston native. After high school, he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia where he first began to formulate a plan for his career. After interning at several different financial institutions on Wall Street, he decided to switch gears and pursue opportunities in economic research. Following undergrad he began working for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia as a research analyst. Spending two years with the bank allowed him to develop several different technical skills, but ultimately, he decided that he wanted to have an impact beyond his research. Now, as he focuses more on life after law school, he is looking to supplement his legal career with his background in economics and finance.
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Jebril's Contact Info:
Email: jebril.reeves@duke.edu |
Donald's Contact Info:
Email: donald.penn@duke.edu |
Emani Walks
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Devon Bryant
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Emani Walks, a 2L, is BLSA's 2017 Director of Academic Affairs. She was raised in Potomac, Maryland. She attended University of Maryland, College Park and graduated in 2016 with a B.A. in Government and Politics. After finishing at the University of Maryland, Emani came straight to Duke. At Duke, Emani is a 2L representative for the Duke Bar Association, a member of the Mock Trial Board, a member of the Moot Court Board, a staff editor for the Duke Journal for Gender Law and Policy, and participates in the Street Law Mock Trial pro bono project.
Emani's Contact Info:
Email: emani.walks@duke.edu |
Devon is originally from Mount Vernon, New York. She graduated from Cornell University, where she majored in Africana Studies and was initiated into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. During her gap year, Devon completed an internship with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s Office of Constituent Affairs. This summer, Devon worked in-house for the General Counsel of packaging and manufacturing giant Printpack in Atlanta, GA. In addition to being the Director of Communications for BLSA, she is also the Community Service Chair for the Black Graduate and Professional Students Association, and a staff editor on the Duke Law & Technology Review. In her free time, Devon enjoys listening to music, watching scary movies on Netflix, and laughing with friends.
Devon's Contact Info:
Email: devon.bryant@duke.edu |
Melanie Walker
Director of Community Development
Melanie is originally from Kingston, Jamaica and moved to the US when she was 16. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a dual-degree in International Business and Finance with a minor in French and a Legal studies Certificate. During her time at UGA, she was very involved with her business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, and studied abroad in Montpellier, France. Prior to law school she worked as a Marketing and Communications Analyst at Goldman Sachs. This summer, she worked with the Fulton County District Attorney’s office in the Public Integrity Unit. In addition to being the Director of Community Development for BLSA, Melanie is the President of the Black Graduate and Professional Students Association, a Lead Fellow and an Active Investigations team member for the Innocence Project. In her free time, Melanie enjoys working out, planning activities for her and her friends and exploring restaurants in Durham.
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