Your FAMU-ly Needs Your Support

We are organizing this fundraiser on behalf of our dear friend, Lea Johnson, who is just two weeks away from graduating law school! Lea recently inquired with financial aid regarding options for loans to help cover her bar preparation period—an intense, crucial time requiring 8-hour study days for a minimum of ten weeks. During bar prep, it is strongly recommended that students do not work, as full-time studying is essential to passing the bar exam.

Lea is an active community organizer, serving as President of the Stonewall LGBTQ Law Student Association, has been a Teaching Assistant for multiple courses, has served as a Research associate, and served on the Social Justice Committee for the Student Bar Association. She consistently holds space for all of us with kindness, compassion, and endless pools of empathy. Now it is our turn to show up for Lea, just as she has always shown up—and will continue to show up—for all of us.

Despite all the odds stacked against her she has persevered and fought to finish her degree to become one of the only 6% of black women lawyers before her.

Unfortunately, when Lea approached financial aid regarding bar prep expenses she learned that obtaining private loans were not possible. Even more urgently, she was informed that because she received scholarships during her studies, she did not qualify for the Grad PLUS loan she had already been awarded during school. She now faces an unexpected financial obstacle—she must repay $6,000 of her Grad PLUS loan before she can officially graduate.

We believe Lea deserves every opportunity to succeed. We're asking our community to rally around her to help remove this financial barrier and provide support during her bar preparation. Every contribution helps.

Thank you for your generosity, kindness, and support!