“Go 24 hours without complaining (not even once). Then watch how your life starts changing,” says motivational speaker Katrina Mayer.

    This is the quote the newly formed Law & Leadership Honors Society chose to represent their mission. In order to be a true leader, you must realize certain things, including discipline. So if you think you can go 24 hours without complaining, you should consider the Law & Leadership Honors Society, because you’ll definitely feel at home.

The Law & Leadership Honors Society started at the beginning of this school year. According to club sponsor Ms. Suarez, the club has about 16 members and is setting up shop quite nicely. Freshman member Melissa Rivera states, “I like how the people in the club can motivate you to do more.”

Fellow freshman DaShandra Williams said, “The vibe I get is nice. I like being around the people here.”

The club also teaches you responsibility. Vice president Jennifer Tejada states, “You learn how to handle complications quickly, and you get a good feeling of a family environment.” Junior and club treasurer Isabella Pujol said, “It’s definitely given me a lot of responsibilities. It’s shaped me as a person in terms of time-management.”

One of the activities the club has is the “Lunch with a Judge” series, where members of the club gather with a judge or other legal professionals from the community in an intimate setting and have lunch. Ms. Suarez says these luncheons provide club members with opportunities to learn about the law profession and plant the seed for an internship. Club members also get to ask the judges questions about their profession, how they got there, or maybe even something more personal, like questions about their family.

Another activity the club offers is the Urban Debate League. A nationally recognized program, it comprises teams from across the USA that come together to debate in tournaments. Ms. Suarez states that Miami, along with 15 other cities in the nation, participate. Competitions started November 14^th at the University of Miami.

According to Isabella Pujol, the first session was just practice, but they did hand out some rewards. LLHS members Stephanie Aguilar and Natalie Parra won best team overall, Reynaldo Cardenas won 5^th best speaker, and Laura Palomino won 3^rd best speaker.

Freshman Reynaldo Cardenas’ favorite thing about the club is the Urban Debate League. It was his “competiveness and passion for debate” that motivated him to join the club. Junior Anthony Rattigan also enjoys debate. “I like going back and forth with people to prove a point,” he said.

Teen Court, another activity the club offers, is a program where juveniles are tried by their peers. “All people who participate in court – except the judge, who is an attorney – are teens,” says Ms. Suarez. “The defendants in Teen Court are juveniles who have already admitted to their crimes, like stealing headphones from Walmart, and the students participants must decide what their punishment is going to be. It can be anything from an apology letter to community service.”

If Teen Court participants are confident enough, they can even represent the defendant. Teen Court is held in anonymity, so anything that happens there must stay in the Gerstein Building in downtown Miami, where it takes place.

You might think that you have to be in the law magnet or you have to be interested in law to join the club, but that’s not the case. If you are a leader, or desire to improve your leadership abilities, the Law & Leadership Honors Society may still be in your best interests. The club offers enriching activities that nurture its members’ abilities to lead and shows them what true leaders are like.

Upcoming Activities

Teen Court @ Gerstein Building – Every Monday 5pm-7pm

Urban Debate League Tournaments – December 12

Bake Sale – January 12 & 28

Lunch with a Judge – January TBA

LLHS Officers

President – Cassandra Cardenas

Vice President – Jennifer Tejada

Corresponding Secretary – Diego Reyes

Recording Secretary – Jessica Garcia

Treasurer – Isabella Pujol

Historian – Manuel Baldizon