Meet Hazel Shermel Gumbs '12

Hazel Shermel Gumbs never doubted that she was meant to do public interest work. From an early age, she observed how her parents enjoyed their civil servant positions, working for the government of Anguilla, British West Indies. Hazel was born in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, and grew up on Anguilla. She came to the U.S. in 2000 to attend Howard University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a double major in economics and political science. She then went on to George Washington University, graduating with a master's degree in public policy in 2007.

While in graduate school, Hazel became employed as a program analyst with the U.S. Government Accountability Office and worked for five years in the agency's Washington, D.C., and Chicago offices. She decided to enroll at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law because of the school's overall reputation and its high-quality faculty. In recognition of her accomplishments, Hazel received the Honorable Abraham Lincoln Marovitz Scholarship, a full-tuition grant awarded once every three years to an incoming student who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service.

While Hazel feels that Chicago-Kent's rigorous legal writing program will serve her well in the future, she is also pleased with the benefits she is deriving daily from her program. "My first day of classes showed me that Chicago-Kent is not only diverse in the classes and experiences that it provides students, but that it admits a diverse student body as well," says Hazel. "Classes have been extremely interesting and rewarding because each student provides a different perspective that serves to enrich our class discussions and our time together.

"Now, in my third year, I can say that Chicago-Kent continues to provide varying and valuable experiences and opportunities for growth and success in the legal field and in life in general."