UDC Law student Jamal B. Bailey was named to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) Hennessy Fellows Program, a partnership with Hennessy & Co. awarding a total of $10 million to high-achieving graduate students studying at HBCUs. As part of the program, Bailey receives access to unique opportunities, including networking events, online training programs, an immersive boot camp and corporate development experiences. Bailey learned of his acceptance in February and explained he is already feeling the impact of the program. “I have completed a ton of professional development work (since February),” Bailey wrote in an email, adding, “In the near future, program participants will interact with LVMH and other executives to gain insight from industry leaders while building our professional acumen.” Hennessy & Co. is owned by LVMH, the luxury lifestyle brand that also owns Moët and Louis Vuitton.
The financial portion of the award provides Bailey up to $20,000 in scholarship funds per remaining academic year, a $10,000 stipend for other educational expenses and a $10,000 award to implement a community “give back” project. In line with the UDC Law mission to practice law, promote justice and change lives, Bailey plans to design a program to increase access for at-risk youth through entrepreneurship and law. He explained, “The program’s goal is unlocking the C-Suite for minorities by developing leadership skills, providing access and networking. Ultimately, this program should equip me with the skills and resources to execute at a high level after graduation.”
Bailey will enter his second year in the UDC Law evening program this fall. Previously, he earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Management and an M.B.A. in Business Administration with a focus on banking, corporate, finance and securities law from Hampton University in Virginia. He began working in investment banking in 2015 with PNC and later with Morgan Stanley until he joined Deloitte Consulting LLP, where he worked as a management consultant through his first year of law school. Bailey is active on campus, including with the Student Bar Association, Phi Alpha Delta and the UDC chapter of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) where he held the office of Parliamentarian for the 2019-2020 academic year. He is a D.C. Bar Leadership Fellow and the UDC Law representative to the American Bar Association. Bailey hails from Prince George’s County, Maryland, and plans to become a litigator focusing on international business deals and crisis management. When he isn’t studying or working, Bailey enjoys boxing, watching documentaries and playing with his French Bulldog – appropriately named CREAC Amicus Curiae.