A Clark-Pleasant Academy graduate has seen two different lawyers in action: her professor during a murder trial, and when she was being adopted.
Those two cases influenced Jordin Kirkpatrick to become a lawyer.
Kirkpatrick came to the alternative academy only needing four more classes to graduate. Now, she is leaving with an academic honors diploma and 55 credits — 10 more than is required.
“I had support, but I didn’t have somebody just hand me a diploma. I really had to work for it,” Kirkpatrick said.
This fall, she will attend the University of Indianapolis on a full scholarship. Kirkpatrick plans on majoring in business finance or history, and wants to attend law school after, Kirkpatrick said.
Kirkpatrick has considered becoming an attorney since she was adopted by her grandparents when she was a pre-teen, Kirkpatrick said.
But her curiosity in the career field became stronger when she followed a murder trial while in high school. Kirkpatrick was taking a dual credit course at another high school before transferring to Clark-Pleasant Academy, and her professor was called to be an attorney for a murder trial.
Instead of having a substitute teacher for the week, he invited students to come and watch the trial, Kirkpatrick said.
A murder trial was intimidating but also fascinating to watch every step of the process, she said.
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Name: Jordin Kirkpatrick
Age: 18
Residence: Greenwood
Graduating: Clark-Pleasant Academy
Plans for the future: Attend University of Indianapolis, majoring in history or business finance, with hopes of being a lawyer
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