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Emerald Evans has always wanted to be a lawyer. It was no surprise to find Evans as a student at Shortridge High School Magnet School for Law and Public Policy in Indianapolis. She was in the program from seventh grade through her sophomore year of high school and followed it to Arsenal Tech High School. IU McKinney was a partner with Indianapolis Public Schools in the effort, where law school faculty taught classes and law students served as teaching assistants.

 Evans’ interest in the law may have been sparked by watching shows like Judge Judy with her grandmother, but it caught fire during her time as a student in the magnet program. That coincided with several of the kids she grew up with getting caught up in the juvenile justice system. “I knew they weren’t bad people,” Evans said. “I started looking into the effects of de facto segregation and institutional racism. I thought I could do something to combat that with a law degree.”

To prepare for law school, Evans majored in law in society at Purdue University, where she also received a double minor in forensic science and in human development and family studies. She also kept in touch with Keshia Townsend, J.D. ’15. Townsend volunteered as a teaching assistant at Shortridge for the magnet program while she was a student at IU McKinney. “I have always known that representation matters,” Townsend said. When Professor Lahny Silva asked her about taking part in the program, she agreed. “I knew it would be great to show teens that looked like me that they could pursue careers in the legal field, and I could have an impact on the community.”

The two became friends during their time at Shortridge. “It was clear to see Emerald would accomplish her dreams,” Townsend said. “She is a natural born leader and has all the essential qualities of an exceptional lawyer.”

Townsend now lives in Atlanta, where she is an insurance subrogation attorney with cases all over the state of Georgia in state and federal courts. The distance between the two hasn’t severed their bond. Townsend is a mentor to Evans as well as a friend. Evans has always been a straight-A student and disheartened by her LSAT score, she said. Townsend “was very encouraging,” Evans said. “She told me ‘You’re gonna be a lawyer.’” As a further testament to her belief in that, Townsend paid Evans’ seat deposit when she was admitted at IU McKinney.

Evans is a student in the evening program; she works full time during the day. She’s also taking part in externships and taking advantage of watching oral arguments as much as possible. She’s also paying it forward by volunteering with the Tindley Law and Public Policy Institute. Evans has her sites set on practicing criminal defense or juvenile defense law. “We need to make our prison system more rehabilitative rather than punitive,” she said. “There’s no reason for these high sentences. That can be attached as a criminal defense lawyer.”