Visionary and Attorney Imani Maatuka Creates Scholarship for Law Minority Students
From undergrad to making huge changes within big law, Imani Maatuka is paving the way for this generation's most impactful lawyers. Top graduate in her class and youngest in her firm, Imani’s stride to create a scholarship for the black community is truly inspirational. “The scholarship is not only created to amplify black voices in law, but also to increase minority representation in corporate “big law” firms.” This scholarship presents a unique approach to social change by uplifting minority students and giving them the necessary tools and resources to pay forward in their career. We had the opportunity to talk to Imani about her drive for this scholarship, her inspirations and goals for the future of minority big law students. Check out the full interview below.
Where are you from? And what school did you go to?
Champaign, Illinois. North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. Washington University School of Law.
When did you realize that ‘Big Law’ is unequal amongst men/women (minorities etc)
Equality is a very loaded term when speaking about disparities within merit-based opportunities. However, it is this “opportunity gap” that is the genesis of inequality. I was made aware of the inequality within the law during my maturation as a child. My mother is an attorney, as are my godfather, aunt, uncle, and many of my mother’s friends. First and foremost, the belief that one can become an attorney is a result of a privilege that many African Americans and women aren’t privy to. Such a career orientation is the residue of years of molding, mentoring, and preparation that is ingrained by environment and personal passion. Not to mention the “lottery” of being born to love parents, in a nurturing environment that prioritizes education, and facilitates a mindset that the child can be anything they put their mind to.
With housing, family stability, healthcare, and education being volatile for most, the ability to dream of a career path as lofty as an attorney, let alone “Big Law” is a rarity. Many aren’t aware that “Big Law” exists. It is the best-kept secret that is not a secret.
What prompted you to create your own scholarship? Explain a situation
Unfortunately, opportunities in Big Law are generally restricted to a select group. Often, Big Law tends to recruit either student’s from Top-20 law schools or law students in the top 10% of the class from lower-ranking schools. Because of the selectivity and the low number of minority law school candidates, few people of color will ever have the opportunity to join the ranks of Big Law.
This reality made my co-founders and I realize the importance of The Bridging the Gap Scholarship. By providing financial resources and mentorship to pre-law candidates applying to law school, the scholarship maximizes the potential for people of color to enter top law schools and subsequently, enter the ranks of Big Law. Many qualified minority pre-law students were unable to show that they have the capacity to attend a top law school or work in Big Law solely because they could not afford to apply to law school or take an LSAT preparatory class. The Bridging the Gap Scholarship seeks to change that reality and serve as the bridge for the next generation of minority pre-law students to cross into the realm of Big Law so that they too can pay it forward and change the legal industry.
How will you implement this scholarship for minority students?
Offering a scholarship can be amazingly complex, but we provide a better, easier way. Offering mentorship in addition to monetary awards helps see students through from start to finish. We provide the resources needed to enter into law school and then provide the requisite support to thrive while there.
Scholarship applications will be open in January 2023 and we will announce the winners that Spring. Follow us on Instagram @btgscholarship and visit our website: bridgingthegapscholarship.com
What challenges did you face in law school?
I am a child of privilege. Surrounded by established attorneys, I had a reservoir of experience to my avail, and challenges were not an issue for me. Overconfidence, ambition, and a little hubris may have been slight areas of adversity, but I was the benefactor of great circumstance, and my only challenge was not getting in my own way.
Who’s one person you think is making an extreme change in today’s society for minority students?
My father. Studies have shown that Black students are more likely to attend college if taught by Black teachers. After practicing as a broker for most of my life, he retired and returned to school to obtain his master of Education. He then dedicated his life to educating low-income, minority students. Currently, he serves as a secondary educator within the Unit 4 Career and Technical Education department. There, he teaches Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Investments, Accounting, Multi-Media, Business Foundations, and Business Law.
As an Undergraduate, he would make my brother and I give presentations on how to succeed while attending college and the career opportunities that are available. Now that I’m a proponent of Big Law, he champions my journey, planting seeds that such an opportunity is possible.
What are your goals going forward? What would you like to accomplish?
We would like to increase the number of scholarships awarded. This begins with the creation of a database of allies and supporters. Collaborating with other “Big Law” sympathizers, and increasing our resources, while expanding our network is our long-term growth plan. Galvanizing current “Big Law” professionals to establish a path for future “Big Law.” This is the systematic removal of inequality.
What makes you RARE?
Circumstances.
The only reason I exist, with the mindset I possess, and the success I have achieved, is due to my environment, maturation, and preparation. This is the very reason we created our scholarship initiative. Success should not have to be the result of tenuous circumstances and events serendipitously falling into place. Why are we captive to systems in which everything must be perfect for a student to achieve success? Admittedly, ‘Big Law.’