Nov. 11, 2011

The California Law Academy at Wilson High School had its first mentoring meeting on Nov.2. The program is sponsored by the California Department of Education in an effort to reach out to “at-risk” youth. The event united high school teens with 65 lawyers and judges who’ve made a commitment to mentor the students for three years. Among the mentors was Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard E. Rico, who graduated from Wilson High in 1972 before going on to Yale. “We want to inspire and encourage their aspirations to include a career in the legal profession,” said Rico. Both mentors and the teens were asked to fill out questionnaires that gave insight into their personalities. The students were asked what they fear. Some answers were pregnancy and losing siblings. Enrique Peralta, 16, said he feared dropping out of school. He explained that the charter school he’d been attending was shut down for lack of funds and that he now had to go to Wilson, which is a long way from his home. “I come from South Central, not many people believe we have the potential to succeed. [Eventually] you start to believe it,” said Peralta. Ann Park, a partner at Pond North LLP, helped coordinate the event and said she hopes the program will “improve the pipeline.” — Connie Lopez