Jameil Brown ‘21
2L Education Chair for BLSA, Career Development Chair for Lambda, and a member of VLR’s editorial board.
Hi Jameil and welcome to Hot Bench! Let’s get the ball rolling with some fun questions. What’s something most people don’t know about you?
Most people don’t know that I am a horrible cook. I’ve never sent myself to the hospital or burned anything down, but it’s not great.
If you could cook one thing really well, what would it be?
If I could make one thing, I would love to be able to make a Filet Oscar, which is a fantastically seared filet with crab meat and bearnaise sauce on top.
Do you have a pet peeve?
Candy wrappers on the floor. I don’t know why it bothers me, but if I see one in class, I will shift my books to block my vision. Maybe it’s because I don’t eat candy.
You don’t eat any candy?
I literally don’t eat sweets. I don’t have the taste for it. I never ate my own birthday cake growing up.
What about semi-sweet pastries or pies?
Nope, not even muffins or donuts. Pancakes are right at the border.
Do you drink your coffee black?
I don’t drink coffee, but drinking is different from eating sweets. I like sodas and sweet teas.
A “sweet tea” man! Any strong opinions about brewing it?
You can’t put sugar in iced tea. If a restaurant has iced tea, it does not have sweet tea. Give me sweet tea or give me death.
How much sweet tea do you drink?
That doesn’t need to be public information. It’s an abundance.
Alright, keep your secrets. Can you tell us where you’re from?
Near Austin, Texas—Leander to be specific.
Tell us something about Leander!
It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. A new subdivision pops up every time I go back. In 1990, the welcome sign said population is 3,300. As of 2017, we have over 50,000 people.
Was it an adjustment going from Texas to New Jersey for college?
In some ways, yes. I got to meet so many more people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds than you do in your typical southern suburb. And I definitely had to get used to the cold and snow. But my high school had a great balance of academics, arts, and sports—I found Princeton to be a similar and comfortable environment in that regard.
I hear you’re headed back there this weekend. Are you attending an event?
I’m going back to Princeton for THRIVE, a semi-regular Black alumni conference. The last one was held when I was a junior in college. It’s exciting to go back as an alumni. There will be a lot of talks and networking receptions, panels about student life and careers, and conversations about being an alum in this context.
Was the black student community a big part of your life as an undergrad?
No, actually. I was a member, but I wasn’t an active member. I spent more time exploring my LGBTQ identity. My black identity was important to me, though, and I explored it in other ways. I took a number of African-American Studies courses and I worked with the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality + Understanding on different programming initiatives, especially on issues regarding race.
How have your experiences here at UVA differed from your experiences at Princeton?
I will say that there is more of a critical mass at Princeton, where there were still a few hundred people to meet and become friends with. The Law School is much smaller and the percentages still aren’t perfect. It is nice, though, because we all really love each other and we spend a lot of time with each other. We support each other and I like that a lot. But still, there’s not the same breadth of ways to engage.
When did you start thinking about law school?
I started thinking about it around my sophomore year of college. I was a computer science engineer for two hot seconds and I found I didn’t have a strong intellectual passion for it. I began taking classes with the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. I started gearing my internships in that way too. I interned for a federal judge and for the headquarters for Legal Aid in New Jersey.
Why computer science?
I wanted to comfortably make money, haha.
Let’s do a lightning round!
Favorite food?
French fries. I love a good steak fry—the body can scoop up a good amount of ketchup.
What is your favorite place for steak fries in C’ville?
Red Robin has steak fries, but it feels cheap to use a chain. The fries are bottomless though.
Favorite place in Charlottesville?
The BLSA office. We have a lot of fun in there.
Anti-Stress Hobby?
I find sleeping fun. I have nerdier answer—I’m actually a huge fan of the marching arts—Drum Corps, Winter Guard, and any Corps style marching bands. In the fall and winter, I’m usually live-streaming it as I study.
Interesting! How did you get into the “marching arts” as it were?
I was a big marching band nerd in high school and I never shook it. I played the trumpet.
Do you have a favorite Drum Corps?
It’s hard, probably the Boston Crusaders.
Favorite word?
Intersectionality—I think it’s important and not taken seriously enough.
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
I would love to live in a warmer version of Chicago or a less rainy version of Amsterdam.
Chicago is my favorite city in the country. Great food, great nightlife, and fun neighborhoods.
What is your least favorite sound?
Crickets are an awful sound.
What’s one movie that left an impression on you?
Moonlight.
If you won the lottery, what would you do with it?
I would definitely buy a number of houses in different locations I would like to be in.
If you could pick one song to play in the background of your life, what would it be?
Lust for Life by Drake from his early mixtapes. It’s a good song about balancing reaching your vision of success and your roots that helped propel you there.
If you could make one rule that everyone had to follow, what would it be?
Consider other perspectives.
If you could change anything about the Law School, what would it be?
I wish the average experience of someone who doesn’t fit the typical UVA mold were a little stronger.
What do you hope to do with your law degree?
I have dreams and goals about diversifying the legal profession and those goals are better accomplished in certain positions like law firm partnerships. I met a number of black female attorneys who are on the executive committees of their firms and to see how much they put into their work and their goals has been inspiring to me. I think we should ask ourselves: Why are Black people not in the pipeline and not making it to the partner levels?
What’s your favorite thing about the Law School?
The fantastic Career Services Offices and I’m really happy I came here for that.
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jdb4rf@virginia.edu