Jasmine Lair

MJ, Employment and Labor Law, Tulane Law School Class of 2023

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My name is Jasmine Lair and I am in my last semester as MJ student at Tulane Law
School. It feels very good to say that, but also makes me a little sad to see it come to a close. I
can remember the day that I first heard about this program. I was teaching a one on one COVID
protocols course to an employee that was unable to attend a prior session. It was around June
2020, and we required all employees to attend such a training before returning to work. After
the training, we started to talk about career tracks and she told me about her cousin that went
through the MJ program. She loved the program and after graduation she was received a
significant pay raise. Sounded dreamy to me! So I decided to apply for the August 2020
semester! It was a bit of a scramble getting everything together on time, but I managed to do
so by the deadline. I was beyond excited reading my acceptance letter. I could not believe I was
finally going to grad school, a goal I had since the graduation day for my undergrad six years
prior.

A funny thing happened next. About two weeks into the semester, I found out I was
expecting my second child. At this time, my daughter was four months shy of turning two.
Likewise, my company, who had me working part time, told me it was time to come back full
time and that I would oversee another department (in addition to my HR role). Everyone was in
the depths of COVID and “wearing many hats” or “having to pivot” to keep their company
moving forward. It was a unique time. I can remember going through our readings that first
semester and feeling like I was trying to learn to speak Chinese. It was a difficult time, but I
pushed through! I am not starting my last semester of the MJ program 29 weeks pregnant with
my third child. I recently made a difficult decision to leave my previous employer, with whom I
had spent the past decade with, and accept a position with a new company. I am still trying to
find my footing! While the COVID craze has subsided, my own personal craze is still in full gear.
What I do know, is that the MJ program has shown me that I am capable of so much more than
I could have imagined. I have a newfound confidence in my career that I did even realize I
needed. This has opened my eyes to many possibilities for my future and for the future of my children.

Jasmine Lair, MJ-LEL © 2022 by Jasmine Lair is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0