When Leaders Make Room: Becoming an Expander

You can create opportunities for others, wherever you are in your leadership journey.

As part of MIP’s leadership development focus this bar year, we’re introducing two new blog post series: “When Leaders Make Room” and “When the Builder Becomes the Student.” Through these stories, we hope to elevate the voices of MIP members and leaders in their networks, share lessons from different leadership journeys and create opportunities to learn from and connect with one another through shared experiences.

We’re kicking things off with a reminder that you don’t need a certain title or years of experience to make room for someone else. Sometimes, expanding opportunities start with recognizing a need, seeing where you can help and simply starting a conversation.

For Kearra, a first-generation attorney working in-house at Syncfusion, and a newer member of MIP, that meant helping law students gain access to opportunities that she knew could make a difference in their legal career. Even before becoming more involved in MIP, she helped expand access to legal experience through the North Carolina Bar Foundation’s Open Door Fellowship during the 2025-26 bar year.

Here’s her story, in her own words.

1. Don’t wait for the title

What motivated you to ask your employer to sponsor an Open Door Fellow, and what did that experience teach you about expanding opportunities for others?

Kearra: As a first-generation lawyer, I know how hard it can be to navigate your first year of law school while also trying to understand the recruitment process for summer positions. Things move quickly, and you’re trying to learn about opportunities while still adjusting to law school.

That’s why the North Carolina Bar Foundation’s Open Door Fellowship stood out to me. The program helps first-year law students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds gain hands-on legal experience. I also knew Syncfusion was committed to giving law students experience working in-house at a technology company. It felt like a good fit, so I asked whether we could participate.

I wanted to do something practical with my interest in expanding access. This was an opportunity to speak up within my organization and help a student gain experience, meet people and learn about a career path they might not have considered. Through the partnership, we were able to give a 1L exposure to what in-house legal work looks like.

The experience also reminded me that offering the position is just the start. The assignments, guidance and day-to-day support matter. I want someone joining our team to feel comfortable asking questions and to know that their contributions are welcome.

It taught me that I could help create an opportunity even while I was still early in my own career. I knew there was a need, saw how my organization could help, and started the conversation.

Kearra’s experience also shows what attorneys and employers can do to create meaningful opportunities for law students. Through MIP’s 1L Summer Associate Program, there are ways for others to get involved, too.

2. The next opportunity starts with us

How can employers and attorneys expand access to paid legal experiences through MIP’s 1L Summer Associate Program, and what would you tell students who are considering applying?

Kearra: Employers can get involved by making room for a paid 1L position through MIP’s 1L Summer Associate Program and taking the time to make it a useful learning experience. A position should provide students meaningful assignments, feedback, mentorship and opportunities to get to know the people they work with.

Attorneys can help by encouraging their organizations to participate, mentoring a student or spreading the word about the program. Taking time to answer questions, share your experience or make an introduction can help students feel more supported as they find their way in the profession.

To students considering applying, I would say give yourself the chance. Your work experience, responsibilities and life experiences have helped shape how you think and what you can contribute. Talk about what you’ve learned, what interests you, and what you hope to gain from the experience.

I know it can be easy to question whether you have enough experience or whether you’re ready. You’re applying as a 1L, and learning is part of the purpose. You don’t need to have your whole career figured out before you apply.

I believe that what is for you will always be for you. Put yourself forward and give the process your best effort, but don’t let one outcome make you question your ability or your future in this profession. My own experience has taught me that there can be more than one way to get where you want to go.

3. Make room, and make a difference

Kearra’s story reminds us that expanding opportunity doesn’t have to begin with a big initiative. Sometimes, it begins with one person willing to ask, “Could we make room for someone else?” Whether you’re an employer considering hosting a summer associate, an attorney willing to make an introduction or a law student exploring what’s possible, there’s a way to contribute and make a difference.

Are you interested in getting involved with MIP’s 1L Summer Associate Program?

You never know whose path might change because you decided to make room.