Athens Peer Court

Spring 2015
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
rd

APC Celebrates 3 Birthday

Note from the Director

Peer Court Profiles

Peer Court Profiles

Congratulations Seniors!

APC Spring Photos

Athens Peer Court Celebrates 3rd Birthday

March 6th, 2015 marked the third anniversary of APCs first ever hearing. Volunteers celebrated on the
evening of March 3rd with a birthday party! We played goofy party games, ate dinner and socialized with
new and old friends. We also handed out certificates to honor volunteers who had achieved more than 15,
30, and 60 total hours of community service with Peer Court. At the end of the night, we recognized our
graduating seniors (Anahit, Gulnura, Chandon, Hannah, Nike, and Nanki). A fellow APC member gave a
speech honoring their contributions and each senior spoke about their time with APC and their plans for
the future.

Pictured top to bottom, L-R: Molly Arrowood,

Evelyn Pinto, Alex Robinson, Nike ShimobiObijuru, Coles Ehlers, Hunter Fouche, Shayla
Hayes, Hannah Stubbs, Erin Moore, Fritz
Frankowiak, Dayshaun Mahogany, Henry
Sampson, Trovonta Burgess, Gulnura
Tukeshova, Makayla Moore, Nya Bennett,
Nanki Udhwani, Eson Atkinson, Mennah
Abdelwahab, Arielle Dillard, Ayah
Abdelwahab, Anahit Gharzagan, Jalyn Bennett,
Shimobi Obijuru, Andrew Hardy, PJ Kennedy,
Chandon Haynes, and Tristen Strachen-Taylor

APC Newsletter 1

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

Hello APC Community!
This season at APC has been filled with excitement! We celebrated our 3rd birthday at a special group
event on March 3rd, which was a fun way for some of the newer members to meet and interact with our
veteran volunteers. The new cohort has been very active in contributing to peer court and participating in
hearings since their graduation from training in February.
On March 31st, we held our first Open Court. This was a great way for parents and community members to
see Peer Court in action. We held two mock hearings with youth volunteers serving in all roles, including
respondents. We even had jury deliberations. Judge Shearer spoke to our audience and a reception
followed. All of our volunteers were prepared for their roles and did an awesome job of showing the
community what peer court is really like.
I am also enthusiastic about peer courts recent expansion in the state of Georgia. In April, Forsyth County
Juvenile Court held its first youth training for its new peer court program using many APC materials. They
held their first hearings last month and will train a second cohort of volunteers in June. Law students from
Georgia State helped with the training, as did many local attorneys. Fourteen youth volunteers completed
the training and I am incredibly excited for both the future of their program and the future of peer courts in
Georgia in general.
In August we will host our 10th training for new participants. This summer, will hold a one day advanced
training for volunteers that will focus on further developing important Peer Court skills as well a tour of
UGA and a trip to a dining hall. Finally, I am happy to report that we have funding to continue peer court
for another year, as our initial three year grant runs out at the end of June.

Sincerely,

Emily Boness, J.D.

Students conducted mock hearings at our

Open House for parents and community

Forsyth County Peer Court participants celebrate induction

into the program. Pictured along with Juvenile Court Judge
Meincke (left) and Chief Juvenile Court Judge Jackson
(center).

APC Newsletter 2

Peer Court Profiles

Kennedy Reid
Former Peer Court Participant

Kennedy Reid (center), Cohort 1 (Feb 2012)

I started volunteering with Athens Peer Court when I was

15, in my sophomore year of high school. I decided to get involved
because at the time I was interested in becoming a lawyer and
thought the experience would help. Even though I no longer want to
become a lawyer the experience was still great! During my time at
Athens Peer Court I learned so much about being a leader as well as
a team player. My public speaking skills got much better as well.
As I said before, Athens Peer Court helped me with
leadership, team building, and public speaking. It also opened my
eyes to so many things happening around Athens and it's great when
I get a chance to tell people about the program! My favorite peer
court memory is probably the meetings at Fanning or the ropes
courses. Both of those were always so much fun.
Right now I'm 18 and going into my sophomore year of
college at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. I am majoring in
marketing and global health and hope to one day become a hospital
administrator. I am involved with the National Society of Leadership
and Success, a member of the admissions team, and the National
Council of Negro Women. To current volunteers I would say learn
as much as you can and get involved in as much as you can while in
middle or high school. Find things you're really passionate about and
run with them. Even though at times high school (or middle school)
can seem to drag on, those few years go by much quicker than you
think and you want to have great memories to look back on.

I began volunteering with peer court during my first year of

Haley Chafin
law school. I loved the program so much that I became the law school
Law School Liaison
liaison my second year of law school. I decided to get involved with
peer court because it provided me the unique opportunity to get
involved outside of the law school and volunteer in the community.
During my time at peer court I learned, right along with our
student volunteers, about giving opening and closing statements and
about being an effective public speaker. It really taught me how to be
an efficient and effective manager, as working as the liaison for the
law school required recruiting law school volunteers and coordinating
volunteer schedules for APC hearings. I would also say that working
with APC student volunteers made me a better leader and teacher!
My favorite APC memory is the night that we had the senior
farewell dinner at Fanning. It was amazing to watch the friendships
that formed between volunteers during their time with APC and the
confidence and maturity that our volunteers gained through APC.
I am currently a week away from graduation. I will be
studying for the bar and volunteering with APC this summer. I will
begin working at an Athens law firm this fall. I would tell current
student volunteers to stick with APC even if certain parts of the
program make them nervous (public speaking, memorizing statements,
etc.). Being involved in a program like APC is a great way to learn
about the justice system and to hone important skills like public
Haley Chafin, Street Law Volunteer Coordinator
speaking and writing. Plus, you make great friends along the way!
(Aug 2014-May 2015)
APC Newsletter 3

Peer Court Profiles

Signe Hanson
PSO Student Scholars Intern
Ol from Brazil! I hope everyone had a good semester and is enjoying summer vacation! I arrived in Brazil in February
and will be here until December. Right now, I am studying at a university in a little town called So Joo del-Rei and am loving
it. The city is so cute and my Portuguese is getting way better because all of my classes are in Portuguese and most of my
friends dont speak English. My program has the opportunity to travel quite a lot around Brazil. We went to Rio de Janeiro as
well as several historic cities and Brasilia (the capital). My family was able to come and visit me over Easter, so we went to a
beautiful island off the coast of So Paulo and got to slide down waterfalls and scuba dive! After this semester I will have an
internship in a different area of Brazil, but right now I do not know where. I hope to live in a different city (to see somewhere
new) and work with a large international company or law firm to hopefully gain a better idea of what I hope to do after I
graduate from college next May.
I got involved with Peer Court while interning at Fanning through the Public Service and Outreach Student Scholars
Program. After attending the training session and meeting the Peer Court Volunteers, I knew I wanted to become more involved
with Peer Court.
During my time with APC, I learned about the courtroom process! Before I started volunteering with Peer Court, I had
no idea how hearings were run or the different people and roles involved. I learned the process right along the students. It has
been an incredible valuable experience, as now I am thinking about going to Law School! I also learned about the Athens
community and its local laws and challenges, which has been incredibly valuable to me, as I am very interested in local policy
and creating positive change.
APC introduced me to a career path that I had never before considered and connected me to a network of passionate,
hard-working people who inspire me to always reach higher. The support and encouragement that I received at APC was
valuable beyond words and will never be forgotten.
My favorite Peer Court memory was one day where we had 3 more hearings than expected, so the night was pretty
long, but the volunteers were dedicated and treated each hearing with respect and gave it the necessary time and thought to
create a fair disposition. I was so proud of all the volunteers for maintaining positive attitudes and recognizing that every
respondent deserved their time and respect. I am also a huge fan of every time Mallory brought snacks.
If you are already volunteering with Peer Court, you are on the track to success! Keep giving back to your community
and find ways to connect with people towards a common cause. Make sure you are surrounding yourself with positive,
passionate, people who push you to be a better person. Most importantly, as my dad says, Do it like you mean it, meaning
whatever you choose to do, make sure you give it your all, all the time.
Unfortunately, I have not had very much time to work with students here, which makes me really miss Peer Court! I am
so excited to see all the old Peer Court Volunteers and meet the new ones when I return to Athens in January! Continue to work
passionately towards your goals and I cant wait to see all you, as individuals and as Peer Court, accomplish!

Signe Hanson, PSO Intern (Jan 2014-Feb 2015)

APC Newsletter 4

Nike Shimobi-Obijuru
Cohort 2
I began volunteering with peer court during my sophomore year. My mother suggested the program to
my brother since he was interested in becoming a lawyer at the time, and I hopped on board since it
sounded like an interesting volunteering opportunity that would look good on a college application.
Once I became a member, peer court became more than just an opportunity - it became another
community, where I found friends and learned how to become a better public speaker. Being a part of
peer court has given me a valuable chance to really impact my community in a positive manner. One of
my favorite memories of the program is when I heard the heartfelt apology one respondent gave to her
parent, as it proved how much we (peer court) had impacted her. Peer court offers first-time juvenile
offenders a second chance that allows them to change the direction of their life for the better, as the
offense does not go on their permanent record. Indeed, the program has given me the courage needed to
go to college a bit further away from home than UGA. I am currently preparing to enter Spelman this
fall, which is located in Atlanta: not too far from home, but further than Id originally planned. My only
suggestion to current volunteers is to remember that peer court is indeed a serious business as it really
changes lives, but you can still have fun and enjoy being a part of it.

Anahit Ghazaryan
Cohort 9
My name is Anahit Ghazaryan. I am an exchange student from Armenia. In January of 2015 I attended Athens
Peer Court courses and have been certified as a youth lawyer. During my exchange year in Georgia, Athens
Peer Court was the best activity. I want to be a lawyer in the future and so APC was very important experience
as I formed clearer ideas about law, lawyers and court. People who I volunteered in Peer Court with were very
understanding and encouraging. They are always ready to listen, help, give advice and just be your friend. I
highly appreciate these features. Not only are the volunteers very tolerant and professional people in their
work, but also organizers headed by Emily Boness. I am thankful to everyone in Athens Peer Court for being
so warmhearted and hospitable to me. I will always remember you.

Nanki Udhwani
Cohort 9

Gulnura Tukeshova
Cohort 9

I just took my first AP of the year and I am tired! I am going to UGA next
year and most likely be majoring in Biology with the possibility of doing a
double major in Biology and Psychology. Its going to be tough, but
hopefully exciting! I am anxious about the classes, but really excited to get
the experience of being a Dawg! I basically joined Peer Court because I
thought it was really interesting and just something new I could learn
about. I ended up learning law is important because it makes me a more
well-rounded person, but also just teaches me more about the world/society
I live in. It also opened my eyes to some of the students/kids around me
who are practically the same age and made me realize how lucky I am to
be in such a good society and have such great parents! Also, APC gives me
the satisfaction of helping people which is exactly what I want to do!

Athens Peer Court was the best experience in my

exchange year. I decided to get involved with peer
court because I wanted to study about law, civil
rights and crime. During the hearings I learned a lot
of important things, I practiced my English, and I
learned about public speaking. My favorite part of
peer court was the Open Court Day. I enjoyed being
a youth advocate. In the future I am going to apply
for American University in Central Asia. To be a
professional advocate is my dream and goal.
APC Newsletter 5

APC Spring Photos

Alex plays a game at the 3rd

birthday celebration for APC.

Nike and Henry try to pass a

tissue on a straw in a relay race .

Nike tries to figure

out the human knot.

Tierra gives a statement in front

of the courtroom audience.

A team works to untangle

themselves during a game.
Molly leads one of the mock trials as
judge while Coles serves as bailiff.
Amber acts as a respondent
in one of the mock trials.

Shimobi represents the community

as an advocate at Open Court night.

The jury, led by Judge Nike, deliberates on a case.

APC Newsletter 6