When alumna DeNora Getachew ’01, a Legal Studies major, attended John Jay, she was juggling a lot. The Bronx native was raising her son while earning her degree, but she always stayed focused on her ultimate goal: She was going to become a lawyer. “I knew that I wanted a school that was going to give me more exposure to the law in a meaningful way, and all of those roads led me to John Jay,” says Getachew. “Because I had my son at a young age, I was really focused on pursuing the law as my career and going to law school after college. I wanted to become employable and successful as soon as I possibly could.” After engaging in a long career that included working at the New York City Council, Office of the New York City Public Advocate, the Brennan Center for Justice, Generation Citizen, and the Center for Educational Equity—to name just a few—Getachew found her ideal job as the Chief Executive Officer for DoSomething, the largest organization focused exclusively on young people and social change. We sat down with Getachew to learn more about her John Jay journey and her impressive career.

While you were at John Jay, what experiences helped get you into law school and shape who you are today?
Honestly, it was the coursework. Being an undergrad at John Jay, I had the opportunity to take truly practical pre-law classes that gave me more exposure to what I would experience in law school. It allowed me to “try on” being a lawyer and determine if it was right for me. I’m one of those people who needs to touch and feel something before I commit to it. Having that practical exposure to the law was a big draw for me. Yes, I wanted to learn the theories about the law, but I also wanted to understand the realities of the law. So, being able to take pre-law classes in everything from criminal law to legal writing made me feel good and it motivated me to the next natural step, which was law school.

What was it like being a mother while you earned your degree?
I think one of the biggest challenges was being a young adult, finding my own way in college, while simultaneously parenting a child. I was always thinking about how I needed to provide for him, set an example for him, and help mold this young human life.

My son, D’Aundre, just turned 25 a few weeks ago. I had him when I was a senior in high school, so he was a big part of my college and law school experience. There were many times, especially in law school, when D’Aundre’s school was closed and I needed to find a place for him. When I was at John Jay, sometimes when the public schools closed, I took advantage of the Children’s Center. I was so happy that it was there when I needed it.

I’m a very private person, and I never wanted to ask for an accommodation because of my child. The very few instances where I did ask for help at John Jay, it was never frowned upon, and I never felt judged. I appreciate that more young people now feel empowered to articulate what they need.

While you were at John Jay, did you have any experiential learning experiences that helped to solidify your legal ambitions?
Before I became a lawyer, I had the opportunity to work at the New York State Division for Human Rights. I got to work with a lot of lawyers doing practical work around employment law issues and policy litigation. I’m always motivated by the human story and seeing how employment law affects people’s lives had a real impact on me. I saw how slow the litigation process could be and I witnessed transformative changes while I was there. Working at the New York State Division for Human Rights reinforced that I wanted to go to law school.

What was law school like for you after attending John Jay?
I ended up going to Fordham Law school for the same exact reason I ended up going to John Jay. I wanted practical legal experience and a school that trains real-life lawyers. Some law schools are known for training professors, others are great at training politicians. Fordham was good at training practical lawyers. You were going to leave that institution understanding the law and how you can make an impact.

Law school in and of itself is a journey, but I felt prepared for that journey because of the exposure to the law that I received at John Jay. The pre-law classes that I took at John Jay gave me a foundation. My kids now have two lawyers for parents. They get that foundation just growing up in their home. But for many kids of color, that foundation is completely unknown. It becomes a barrier to entry for them. My lived experience at John Jay—like learning all those Latin words in my pre-law courses—removed the barrier for me.

After I graduated from law school, I did an externship at the New York City Council. That was a powerful experience for me. I knew that government existed, but that me, a girl from the Bronx, could work at a local legislative body and have an influence on policy, that made my heart flutter in the most special way.

What was it like landing the CEO position at DoSomething and what are your hopes for the organization?
Before working at DoSomething, I thought of it as this larger-than-life entity doing cause-impact work with young people for social change. It was like this glamorous, exciting organization. DoSomething ended up finding me. We intersected when I was at Generation Citizen, so I was familiar with their work, but when the opportunity came, I was like, Oh that’s not for me. They would never hire me to do that. I had imposter syndrome. I questioned myself, thinking, Is this consistent with my theory of change? Would they actually hire a Black woman to do this work? Do I have the skills, competencies, and resources within to do it?

In 2020, as the nation was having a deep racial reckoning, the organization had its own reckoning around race, equity, inclusion, belonging, and leadership. They were reimagining what type of organization it could be. I realized that I was up for the challenge and I was the right person to lead the organization. I’m a change agent and I hope under my leadership DoSomething changes for the better.

What do you want to say to John Jay students hoping to follow in your footsteps and become an attorney?
I always encourage young people to go to law school. I believe pursuing a legal degree is one of the most valuable advanced degrees that you can obtain because it teaches people to think critically about all of the legal and policy issues that affect our lives. If you decide to practice law at a white-shoe law firm, or at the New York State Division of Human Rights, or a non-profit, a legal degree is the right foundation through which you can accomplish that. If you believe in systemic, societal change, law school will give you the tools and the toolbox to do that in whatever way is consistent with your own theory of change.

The advice I always give young people is to figure out what their theory of change is—and remember, it can evolve. It’s important to name and be clear about your own personal mission statement, instead of only reacting to the world and the opportunities that are presented to you.