Portia Britt, LN '07, Receives the St. Louis American Foundation's Salute to Young Leaders Award

Currently, I am assigned to the Domestic Violence Unit of the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office. In that unit, I handle cases solely involving intimate partner violence. I am responsible for reviewing warrant applications brought to us by any St. Louis County Law Enforcement Agency, and making a determination on issuing charges. Once charges are filed, I am responsible for the case until it is resolved. I work daily with domestic violence victims. Outside of my Domestic Violence Unit duties, I handle some manslaughter cases as well.

When I was younger I saw a film about the Black Panther Party for Self Defense. My main takeaway at that point was that every citizen should know their rights, and that the law should be applied equally. I knew then that my purpose was to be a lawyer and to help others.

The most important lesson I learned from my intern experiences is to commit to the job, whatever it may be. None of my internships were the same, many weren’t even in the same field, but each opportunity provided me with different learning experiences. I learned with each one that if you’re willing to stay when everyone else has left, to do the jobs no one else wants to do, and to take advantage of any prospect to learn something new, people will notice that. Once you become a person that people can rely on to get the work done, you will get the chance to try new opportunities that push you closer to destiny.

Although it was a long time ago now, working with Congressman Cleaver’s Office was my favorite internships. At the time I participated in the program, Congressman Cleaver was the head of the Congressional Black Caucus. While there I had the opportunity to meet and work with several public officials. I think Congressman Cleaver does an excellent job representing his district and the entire country, and it was exciting to help with the policies he was trying to implement, and to observe how well he represented the Black Caucus.

Currently my community service stems from my positions with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater St. Louis, the Missouri Bar Leadership Academy, and Gateway Clubhouse. I became involved with each of the organizations for the dedication to the advancement of minorities, those suffering from mental illness, and other underserved populations. It is important to me to be involved in service organizations like these because our communities are suffering; there are needs that are not being addressed and talent being overlooked. My hope at the end of the day is to help people achieve their dreams and leave the world better than I found it.

This article was originally published on stlamerican.com