94-05-09 Soon-to-be Grads are First in Families to Earn Degrees SOON-TO-BE GRADS ARE FIRST IN FAMILIES TO EARN DEGREES Raised just outside of Harlem by a single mother who worked as a domestic, Veronique Pluviose-Fenton is the first in her family to go to college. On May 22, she will also become the first in her family to graduate from law school. She has two immediate goals: to get her mother out an of an area with "more than its share of bloodshed" and to work to change such conditions. She views the forthcoming ceremony at U.Va. as a beginning: the most effective way to "serve people. Often I think black people in this country are surviving life, not living it. I want to change that," she says. Born in the United States but raised until age eight in Haiti, she has seen more than her share of poverty. Early in life she chose two heros: Her mother, for her determination to improve her life while working two jobs, and Thurgood Marshall. "Living in an area with lots of crime and drugs, it was easy to see that the law was not being applied fairly," she said. A graduate of City College of New York, she chose to come to U.Va. because she liked the feeling of coming "full circle--to a place that slaves may have built with their bare hands." In 1992-93 through the Law School's J. B. Moore Society of International Law, she went to Miami, where she assisted Haitian refugees in documenting their cases and applying for political asylum. The experience cemented her determination to help "open courts to let them hear the voices of traditionally unrecognized people." She's eagerly anticipating her future as a public- interest lawyer. For more information, Pluviose-Fenton can be reached at (804) 296-2852. N. Scott Warman is proud of his blue-collar family roots. The first in his family to go to college and soon to be a Law School graduate, Warman grew up hearing about unfair labor practices his family members endured. Their experiences have shaped his determination to work in union-side labor law following his graduation from U.Va. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, he excelled in accelerated courses at Roger Bacon High School. He quickly realized that the kinds of jobs that interested him couldn't be obtained with a high school diploma. Although his parents were somewhat surprised by his desire to pursue higher education, they supported him. He secured financial aid and graduated with a 3.7 GPA, earning a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Chicago in 1991. Believing "attorneys can enable other people to accomplish great things," he chose law school, where he has most enjoyed classes in labor and employment law. "After seven years in school, my education is still a mystery to my parents," Warman said. "But I consider my blue-collar background to be an asset. My family helps provide me with a reality check. They help me see law as needing to help people. They give me a drive to be a decent lawyer who will care about people," he said. Explaining his studies to his family has helped in another way. "They won't let legal jargon penetrate our conversations," the 24-year-old admitted. He has enjoyed helping people--using a minimum of legal terms- -while at U.Va. He actively participated in the Big Siblings and Reading for the Blind programs. Following graduation with an anticipated 3.1 GPA, Warman hopes to secure a job with a law firm that represents labor unions. For more information, he can be reached through May 25 at (804) 293-3915. (PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: four generations of the Warman family will be at U.Va. for graduation. The Law School's diploma-awarding ceremony will be in the McIntire Amphitheater at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 22. In the event of severe inclement weather, it will be held in Memorial Gymnasium at 10 a.m.) Cameron Smith will soon earn an MBA--his first degree since he never attended college. A native of Queensland, he attended primary and high school in northeast Australia. At age 16, he left his home town "where the most exciting thing to do was watch a haircut on Monday night"--to join the army. While in the service, he attended Officer's Cadet School, and graduated as a second lieutenant. He joined a parachute regiment and was promoted to lieutenant. While doing logistics work, he was selected to serve in embassies in Washington, D.C., Canada and London. With defense cutbacks dimming his career prospects in the military, he left in 1992, and at age 27 considered what to do next. "I had some money from my military years. I thought I could invest it, and earn some more money. I could start a business, or I could invest it in myself. I thought investing in myself would have the biggest return in the long run." Because of his experiences, he felt he was ready for graduate business school. He contacted several admissions officers, and although he had done well on the GMAT exams, no one would consider him because he had never graduated from college. But then he met Jon Megibow, director of admissions at U.Va.'s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. "He took a completely different approach than anyone else. He asked me to prove that I could do the work," Smith remembers. Smith enrolled in three tough summer courses at U.Va., statistics, management accounting and financial accounting. "When I aced them, Jon let me in," he recalled. Smith believes his attendance at summer school forced him to regain study habits. "I felt confident in my abilities," he remembered. He did encounter some difficulties, though. His professors and peers would often ask him to repeat things because of his Australian accent. "I must say `you'll' differently than Southerners do," he said. He was also frequently surprised by things that Americans take for granted. "I was shocked at shopping centers where there is such a variety of products for sale. Imagine 46 varieties of cereal on the shelf!" he observed. Following graduation, he and his wife Emily, who is a nurse in U.Va.'s burn center, will go to Australia, where he has a job with a management consulting firm in Sydney. He says his Darden experiences have given him "a host of opportunities I never would have had otherwise. One of the most important benefits is a strong network of friends. I plan to ring them up for money if I ever start my own business," he warned. For more information, Smith can be reached at (804) 979-0850. (PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Smith's parents will be coming from Australia for graduation. Darden's diploma-awarding ceremony will be at 12:30 p.m. at the school. In case of severe weather, it will be held at the North Grounds Recreation Center at 10:30 a.m.) May 9, 1994 Karen A. Castle University News Office kac@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu (804) 924-7116 [Submitted by: Karen A. Castle (kac@uva.pcmail.virginia.edu) Wed, 11 May 94 09:17:00 EDT]