Sofia Cordova

History/Evolution
Since the founding of the United States there has been a set of laws and regulations put in

place. These laws are what people have to live their life by or risk facing penalties. Throughout

the history of the United States these laws have been challenged. There is a clear history of this

dating back to when the US was a colony. The American revolution is what allowed people to

challenge the representation (or lack thereof) they were receiving from Great Britain and is what

created a new political system for the US. This new system was created around the Constitution

which established the rules for the running of the government (3 branches including the judicial

branch). The creation of the constitution eventually lead to the bill of rights that covered outside

rights of the people. The bill of rights has been adjusted as time has gone on and court cases

have occured. These needed to be added because society advances away from past models

that can be seen as injustices and discrimination. The Supreme Court has been a big part of

changing the bill of rights and other monumental instances of inequality. One of the most

recognizable cases from the civil rights era in America (this era sought to expand rights for

people of color) is Brown v. Board of Education which ended segregation in schools. A modern

court case that sought to create an equal treatment was the case on civil unions. Throughout

history the rights of the people have been expanded through the use of the law and upheld by

the government.

Sources: ​https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution
​https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
​https://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/bill-of-rights/
https://civilrights.org/judiciary/federal-court-system/important-supreme-court-cases-civil-rights/
Domains it will address and Explanation of this topic with evidence
DCIS is a school with a focus on social justice and issues surrounding equity in the world. There

are many events that occur at the school that focus on these topics. One of the things that is

frequently overlooked is how this work can be turned into a future and a career path. By bringing

in a Civil Rights Attorney it will give the students here an opportunity to think of a new way to

continue this passion. It is a way to get students interested in this subset of law which is integral

to our countries function and I feel that it will engage our students. In this seminar the domains

will be addressed for both students and speaker. The speaker will be the one primarily

communicating ideas as they will do the bulk of the talking but students will have opportunities

to engage in questioning and exploration of related topics during the seminar. It is easiest to see

how there will be a communication of ideas it is how this information will be spread and

questioned however it is not the only domain that will be addressed through this seminar.

Investigating the world will be a main focus of this discussion as it will go over the world of law

(how it works, what she does, etc.) and how this law/what she does impacts the world around

us. Additionally students will learn how in the legal process it is essential to recognize

perspectives as it can help build your case as that is what she has to do as a lawyer.

Speaker’s Personal and Professional History (achievements, awards, etc.)

The speaker Margaret Cordova is a practicing civil rights lawyer for the U.S. Government. She

took a non-traditional path through college and made her way to being a highly accomplished

and awarded individual. Additionally she is the former president of the Colorado chapter of the

Federal Bar Association and is currently the civics liason for the Colorado chapter. She is one of

10 lawyers across the US in the federal government that has this role. Her experience makes

her an ideal candidate to speak on this topic. Also she is my Aunt so it is possible for her to

come in.
List of topics or questions
Given this background questions will include:

● How did you know this is what you wanted to do?

● What was your path through school? (basically how did you get to this career and how

could someone get there)

● How long have you been doing this?

● What are some of your favorite cases that you’ve worked on?

● What opportunities have you been given because of this career path?

● What advice would you give to students interested in this career?

Learning Objective and How it will be measured

Students will be able to ask questions to the speaker to understand what it is that the speaker

does. Students will pay attention to the speaker to see if this a topic or career that interests

them. This objective will be measured through the same means for audience understanding.

Understanding will be checked through asking the audience questions on what was covered by

the speaker. I will also give students the ability to ask the speaker questions. Finally there will

be an exit ticket that will as students to respond to what they learned.

When and Where you will present. Why will it be to that class.
I would like to present to Mr. Pruitt’s Speech and Debate class (it is 6th period). I don’t know the

specific date as it will depend on the availability of my speaker and the class schedule. It will be

presented to this class as it focuses on some of the fundamentals of the law ex: argumentation

with evidence. Also the timing of the class fits well for everyone’s schedule. This seminar also

fits with this class as it is a group of people that have been exposed to this idea so there is a

chance that more of the students will be open to/interested in the field of law. Presenting to the

speech and debate class is ideal because they will have some more background knowledge
than some other classes. Another reason that presenting to this class is ideal is because of the

content and the fact that it is an elective it means that more of the students may have an interest

in this topic which means that some may be more likely to pay attention.