JUSTICEFORALL T H E P I T T S B U R G H F O U N D AT I O N 1 4 F O R U M AMONG THE MANY FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS ARE SEVERAL SPECIFICALLY FOR LAW STUDENTS RONDELL MAGIC JORDAN WINNER OF THE TRUXALL SCHOLARSHIP OF THE PITTSBURGH FOUNDATION Rondell Magic Jordan is focused on fighting injustice. The University of Pittsburgh School of Law student wants to eradicate the institutional oppression and racism he encountered growing up poor in Brooklyn. “And I do mean poor, not low-income,” he says. “Growing up impoverished provided me with two of my most cherished gifts: empathy and gratitude.” The Truxall Scholarship Fund is dedicated to the education of new lawyers attending Pitt Law, especially those who need financial assistance for tuition. A driving force behind Jordan’s pursuit of a law degree is his desire to break the grip of generational poverty. “I see the law as an opportunity to create a new normal,” he says. “Not only were we poor, but for much of my child- hood, my father struggled with an addiction to crack cocaine. My two older brothers were caught up in the criminal justice system. I knew that something could be done about this because I had read about lawyers like Thurgood Marshall and Charles Houston. They had created a new normal for people like me and my family. I knew that I could help to create a newer one. A normal where the troubles that affected my family did not exist.” As a young, African American man, Jordan has faced challenges. He would routinely be stopped by police on his way to or from school, and his undergraduate advisors tried to steer him toward a more “comfortable” major, among other things. Jordan will graduate in May 2019 and wants to work in the government in some capacity where he believes system- atic change can begin. He says the Truxall Scholarship has eased the financial burden of law school, and it has given him a new appreciation for the power of individuals to make a difference through scholarship philanthropy. “This is about the incredible generosity of a stranger,” he says. “I know that this is a scholarship and not a loan, but I feel obligated to repay the committee by continuing my pursuits to enact change. My sentiments in one word: thankful.”