Student Profile: A high school internship put Choice Champions Scholarship winner on the path to advocate for others

Elisha Muhammad holding her Choice Champions award (Photo by Elisha Muhammad)

Soulsville Charter School senior Elisha Muhammad says a high school internship set her on a new path to advocate for those trying to overcome systemic barriers.

Muhammad grew up in Memphis as the youngest of three and says she’s always thought she’d one day become a doctor, but something never felt quite right.

“For the longest time I wanted to be – I can’t even say wanted to be a doctor – I thought I should be a doctor. So, ever since I was like eight, nine, ten, I went through different types of doctors and different fields of medicine, but whenever someone would ask me what I wanted to do, I would say I wanted to be a doctor. And when they would ask me why, I could never give answer which didn’t make me feel the best, because if I was going to do something, I believe I needed a concrete ‘why’,” said Muhammad.

Muhammad says she found that “why” in a field outside of health care, during an internship with the Memphis Bar Association.

The internship connected Muhammad with Memphis criminal defense attorney Jahari Dowdy, where she learned about the many types of lawyers, including fashion lawyers and those who work in media law. It opened her mind to the world of law and how she could channel her ability and desires to advocate for herself and others.

Muhammad says she saw a lot of what she could be in Dowdy who, in addition to being a lawyer, is also a wife, a mother, and a black woman in law.“I’m so, so, so glad I was able to work hands on,” said Muhammad. “I really saw a lot of what I could be in her. She was a wife, she was a mother, and she was respected. That’s one of the things I noticed about her. When we would go to the courthouse which was right across the street from her office, we didn’t wait in lines and the people were like ‘hey, how are you doing?’ We were treated in a way I recognized as respect. And while there were many people who respected her, I also had some very interesting experiences, but ultimately, I could definitely tell she was looked upon very highly and well respected.”

Next fall Muhammad will take the first step towards following in Dowdy’s footsteps, when she enrolls in Rhodes College in Memphis to major in political science with a focus on pre-law.Muhammad is looking forward to everything college brings such as independence and being responsible for herself and her choices along with Rhodes’ College’s award-winning mock trial team.

“I think I’ve been blessed to just be a part of some of the things I’ve been a part of, but I definitely want to continue that work and I think being a little more controlled over it. Creating a stronger voice for myself because a lot of the times when you are a part of something you may be perceived to fully support and/or fully accept the terms of maybe that organization or maybe this group, and so I definitely would like to establish a stronger voice for myself,” said Muhammad.

That grace, strength of character, and advocacy helped earn Muhammad the honor of being named one of six Choice Champions Scholarship winners this year.

Education advocacy organization Tennesseans for Student Success created the scholarship to celebrate students who are attending a school of choice such as a magnet school or public charter school and are seeking education opportunities.

Students like Muhammad, who found inspiration in the possibility of advocating for the legal rights of others.

“That summer experience really opened me up to the life of a lawyer and wasn’t just what I would see on TV or what I would hear about lawyers. I think that experience busted a lot of myths for me because in my household lawyers had to be like liars or they couldn’t be ethical or moral, so working with (Dowdy) really opened my eyes to the nuance of being a lawyer and the nuance of defending someone. And it immediately opened my perspective and shifted my career trajectory and so I’m very grateful for that experience,” said Muhammad.

The Tennessee Firefly is a project of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.