BY SABRINA WONG
Cooper City High School has a large variety of clubs, allowing students to find a group that they would fit into well based on similar interests. Ranging from Culinary Club to Science Club, it may have seemed as though CCHS had all areas covered, but one subject was missing from the bunch: law.
On Thursday, February 28, Future Law Professionals of America (FLPA) hosted their first meeting after school in Sarah Botsch-McGuinn’s room, also known by students and staff as Mrs. BMac. BMac is the new adviser for FLPA.
The new club aims to bring students who have an interest in law careers together, teaching them about the major skills lawyers need to succeed. FLPA also hopes to provide beneficial services throughout the school and community relating to law, as well as give students the opportunity to learn about the law field through internships, guest speakers and various projects.
FLPA was brought to CCHS by sophomore Emma Huerta and junior Angel Reji, who are the co-presidents of the club.
“I decided to start the club because law has always been a passion of mine and I’ve never really had the opportunity to pursue this interest in an extracurricular activity,” Huerta said. “I noticed that there wasn’t really a law-themed club per se at CCHS, yet there are clubs regarding medicine and education fields. So, I contacted Angel— whose ideas were quite similar to mine— and we filled out and turned in the application together.”
“Law has always been a passion of mine and I’ve never really had the opportunity to pursue this interest in an extracurricular activity.”
Other officer positions are available to members to apply for. These include corresponding secretary, recording secretary, treasurer and historian. Those who are interested in becoming a leader in the club are required to fill out an online Google form document. After all the applications have been submitted, interviews will be held and the most qualified candidate will be chosen for each position.
Students from all different grade levels are encouraged to join since there are no requirements to become a member. The only thing that is recommended, though, is that students participate in discussions and activities.
FLPA will be holding one meeting each month, most likely on Thursdays, although it is not confirmed.
BMac, who is the current CCHS speech and debate teacher, took on the role of adviser because she felt as though it suited her best.
“I teach the law class, so it definitely seemed like a good fit,” BMac said. “Plus, I’m the debate coach, and there’s a lot of overlap between topics that talk about law, especially national laws or laws having to do with the federal side. They come up constantly in debate, so it makes sense since I have knowledge [about it] and it’s an interest of mine.”
“For the remainder of the year, we are hoping to get everyone situated and familiar with our club.”
Since the club launched in February, which is already more than halfway through the school year, Huerta and Reji are focusing more on establishing the foundations of FLPA rather than planning major activities to complete.
“For the remainder of the year, we are hoping to get everyone situated and familiar with our club,” Reji said. “We also hope to establish the rest of our board so we can run an effective and organized club next year.”
The co-presidents have already begun discussing some of their plans for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year. Some of these include having T-shirts, field trips, collaborations with other clubs, in-school fundraisers and mock trials.
The addition of a new club centered around law at CCHS will allow students who are interested in pursuing a law career to learn more about the field. While there aren’t too many ideas for this year, FLPA will likely continue to attract members and expand their horizons in the future.
“I was originally here [at the first meeting] to support Emma, but now I’m actually interested in law and I hope to see this club do many things next year,” sophomore Anita Emokpae said. “I’m very excited for it.”
Disclaimer: Emma Huerta is a staff writer for The Lariat.
Photo by Cassie Hartmann
