Brandin Carter (25c) is quick to recall his favorite Berry memory, citing a moment during freshman orientation when he and other Leadership and Service Fellows walked down the storied lane toward the historic Gate of Opportunity.
“Our mentors, students one or two years older, told us to reflect and not look back,” he reminisced. “We got to the gate and turned around and saw the beautiful spotlight on the Hoge Building. We shared a tender moment when we discussed what we were looking forward to most about college.”
It was there, along that elm-lined path, that Carter began the Berry portion of his journey toward a career in law, finding his perfect academic fit as a political science major minoring in economics and pre-law while tapping into an expansive network of supportive individuals dedicated to encouraging his personal and professional growth.
Over the course of four years, the aspiring federal prosecutor and appellate court judge has formed strong bonds with the likes of Associate Professor of Political Science Michael Bailey, who has been there for him since day one.
“There are so many times he has shown up for me,” Carter recounted. “Once, I was having a tough week. I didn’t tell him in class, but he knew something was off. Afterward, I received an email saying he was in my corner and always available if I needed him. I couldn’t believe he had known without me saying a word.”
On another occasion, the longtime Berry faculty member “opened his home” when Carter needed a quiet place to take the written portion of the law school admissions exam, which is remotely administered, prompting the grateful student to declare, “That speaks to the level of care that Berry mentors give.”
Bailey also joined Dr. Michael Papazian, professor of religion and philosophy, in writing letters of recommendation for Carter when it came time to apply for law school. Additional perspective on that process was offered by Peyton Reed (24C), a student at the University of Mississippi School of Law, and Hunter Berry (21C), a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School now serving as a patent attorney.
And then there’s Danny Price (88C), Berry’s in-house general counsel, who has supervised Carter’s on-campus internship this year. Through their work together, Carter has gained “exposure to a more diverse approach to the legal profession while gleaning some knowledge and wisdom from someone who’s practiced many different areas of the law.”
Assisting Price with legal writing and contracts has enabled Carter to put into practice lessons learned in a contract law class taught by local attorney and role model Sarah Conn Martin (09C), daughter of Gund Professor of Biology Bruce Conn.
Mindful of the role these mentors and others have played in enriching his Berry experience, the Leadership and Service Fellow purposefully invests in his peers through his work as a Berry Ambassador, tour guide and student director in admissions, where he supervises about 40 fellow students.
As a leader and in life, he leans on advice from the man he considers his strongest mentor, his late great uncle who grew up in segregated America.
“He taught me that you have to compose yourself, to judge the types of conversations you’re going to have.” Carter related. “You’ll never entertain a conversation that’s not fruitful. With some of my friends, we disagree on the fundamentals of things, but we can still be friends. I can dignify people and their experiences.”
Reflecting once more on that long-ago walk, Carter is gratified that his own journey brought him to “The gate through which thousands have come in to learn and have gone out to serve.”
“I was blissfully, innocently unaware of what was to come,” he said. “I see now how much has come to fruition and feel so certain, so developed, so accomplished – more than I could have ever dreamed. My freshman self could only jump for joy.”
