January 26, 2023 • 45 mins
Episode Summary:
I’m joined by one of my amazing friends from college, Christine Baptise-Perez, a mother and a lawyer who holds multiple hats on a journey making her life and community better.
Show Notes:
In this conversation Christine shares her story. Originally from Brownsville, Brooklyn NY, Christine shares how the pursuit for higher education as a first generation college student was ignited by her father who pushed her to be the best and accomplish what he wasn’t able to do. A career in law was always in the cards, but Christine pivoted to a career in education with Teach for America after graduating in 2010 during a challenging economic climate. In a full circle moment, Christine currently serves as Vice Chair of Bridgeport, CT Board of Education while growing her litigation experience across multiple areas of law.
In this conversation, Christine reveals the complexities around identity and representation as a Black and Hispanic Woman, why breaking barriers and showing up is critical to inspire the next generation of leaders, and a quick glimpse into what’s next on Christine’s horizon.
Topics Covered:
- Being a first generation college student
- Identifying as Black and Hispanic in educational and professional spaces
- Creating purpose around passions in law and education
- Why representation matters across the board with lots of trails to be blazed!
- Mindset: I am more, and I can do anything
- Calendaring to balance among the many priorities in life
- Moving the needle through educational policy to support the next generation of leaders
Guest Info:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Christine (00:00):
I wanna have something seminal.
I wanna argue before the SupremeCourt.
I want to advocate for thatpiece of law that's going to
change lives.
Stephanie (00:14):
I am Stephanie Evans, and this is Diaries of a Modern
Trailblazer.
Take note of the journey and beinspired to forge your own
amazing path.
I am so excited to have you,Christine, on this podcast
today.
Christine (00:33):
No, thank you.
Stephanie (00:33):
Can you believe we've known each other for like, it
just feels like forever.
Christine (00:40):
Yeah.
That was a good move.
That was good.
Not saying the number.
Thank you.
Stephanie (00:47):
So really, let's just start off from the beginning.
Like tell us about who you are,where you come from.
Who is Christine?
Christine (00:57):
Well, I'm Christine Baptiste Perez.
I'm a mother.
I'm a lawyer in Bridgeport,Connecticut.
I hold multiple hats, but Ijust, not to undermine my
greatness, but I like to justsay I am.
A human being on a journey justtrying to make my life and my
(01:20):
community better.
And so with that, I serve onBridgeport's Board of Education
as its vice chair.
And there's a few otheropportunities I'm looking to
take on where it's gonna give memore leadership op uh, a
leadership role in thecommunity.
But I don't wanna put the cartbefore the horse with announcing
(01:40):
those.
But those are the three bigroles I.
And as far as who I am, I'm agirl from Brooklyn.
No, uh, I'm originally fromBrownsville, Brooklyn, New York.
I am a first generation collegestudent.
I went to Cornell Universitywhere we met at an undisclosed
(02:04):
date for the public and.
Really just trying to make theclients that I serve as an
attorney resolve their legalissues and with the role with
the board resolve issues ineducation for the city of
(02:24):
Bridgeport.
Being a mom and the mom aspectof my life, I think that's the
most rewarding and the fun part.
Um, but yeah
Stephanie (02:33):
so just taking a step back, you mentioned that you're
a first generation collegestudent.
What, what drove you to pursuinghigher education?
Christine (02:47):
Um, I was always motivated, first and foremost
for my dad.
My dad play, and my mom wasalways there too, but my dad
was, the gasoline and the fire.
He always pushed me to be.
The nickname I have from him is,number one, he pushed me to be
my best self.
(03:09):
Um, and really ignited thecompetitive aspect.
And he always told me when I waslittle, I was gonna be able to
accomplish what he wasn't ableto.
And so he was like, you're goingto go to college, you're gonna
go to one of the bestuniversities in the world.
And at that time he was like,you're gonna go to.
But I think he just never heardof Cornell.
So that always stuck with me,and I remember being a little
(03:34):
girl and he was telling me I'mgoing to accomplish what he
wasn't.
And he would pretty much justhave my back to doing it.
That first indication of goingto college came from him, and
then I would really say it wasamplified and supported by the
(03:54):
educational community I was in.
And so my teachers weresupportive and motivated and
encouraging me to go to college,apply to the best schools, and
not limit myself.
Or the opportunities that I waspresented with.
(04:15):
So that's what, uh, really all,I give a ton of credit to my
father.
It was him and, uh, my familyand then my teachers in school
that really encouraged me to goto college.
Stephanie (04:31):
So one of the things I don't think we really touched
on is that you identify as blackand Hispanic.
And so I'm just curious, how doyou balance representing both in
your academic and yourprofessional pursuits?
Christine (04:51):
It's really, uh, somewhat complex.
I think it to a certain extent,and I remember.
Uh, at Cornell, I have phrasedone of my upper classmate
writing requirements.
One of the papers I wrote, Itermed it instead of like, you
(05:13):
know, the color of your skin.
It's pigmented privilege to acertain extent.
And you know, people are gonnaidentify you with how they see
you initially, and I know frommy physical features I favor,
uh, my father.
and that I am light-skinned withfreckles.
(05:35):
And depending on how I wear myhair, it could be curly, it
could be straight.
Um, but I embrace my Trinidadianinside and the African diaspora
and the story.
Uh, well, not the story, thehistory of how Africans were
brought into the Americas,including the Latin America and
(05:58):
the West Indies.
Um, uh, I, I embrace both, andto.
Certain extent, like I wanna beacknowledged as both because I
feel that it, you know, how youidentify is always going to be
key.
(06:18):
I was born in America, so I fallinto the category of African
American, but my father's PuertoRican, so I'm gonna also
identify as Puerto Rican.
I think one of the best thingsthat's happening now is that
this embraces to the idea of whoI am.
I am more than just what'sbeneath your eyes.
(06:39):
And I'm more, uh, complex and Ithink that's why a lot of
people.
Are trying to find out theirbackgrounds with like the, an
those genetic testings, theancestry.
Um, and, and I wanna embrace itbecause when I stand up in
different capacities, there'sstill roles where I am.
(07:03):
Still the only female in theroom.
I'm still either the onlyHispanic Latino female in the
room.
And there's times where I'm theonly black person in the room.
And so I, I appreciate thosetimes where it feels like
there's barriers to breakthroughand I don't wanna ignore who I
(07:25):
am because I think part ofbuilding up a generation.
And I'm experiencing this right,a lot right now with the Board
of Ed, but also inspiring ageneration of you is showing
them that people before them wholook like them, who are mixed
like them, can do it so they cando it too.
(07:45):
And so I get really, um, I, Ireally wanna acknowledge that I
am mixed and I, and.
You know, both are equallyimportant to me.
Both are part of my identity,and I embrace, both sides.
I mean, so I, I acknowledge Ilove it, and that's who I am.
Stephanie (08:09):
Absolutely.
And to that point, like what isyour why behind what you've done
thus far?
And I know that there's just somuch more for you to tackle
along the way.
And have you seen it evolve asyou've matured over the years
Christine (08:30):
when it comes to being a lawyer?
Like I.
And the, I sound like thegeneric law school application,
like I always wanted to do it.
When I was little I was involvedin debate, but I was also very
passionate about educationbecause in part with my father's
(08:50):
influence, I started to realizein the area I was growing up,
cuz I'm from the projects.
People that look like me, Ididn't see too many of them
striving.
And the first group of educatedblack and Hispanic teachers, I
had, uh, or black and Hispanic.
(09:12):
Individuals in my life that wereeducated were my teachers.
And I had one teacher inparticular, Mr.
Holmes, and he was black andPuerto Rican.
It was a great eye-opener and italso just to have a male teacher
in the classroom was different,in terms of the drive, knowing
that there weren't a lot ofpeople in that look like me,
(09:38):
aside from my teachers.
In different fields like lawyersor doctors and that really had
like an impact us to, it'simportant to move forward, but
also kind of give back and showyourself because just in my
presence alone, um, can inspire.
(10:02):
So the why behind.
Do or why I've taken the path inlife.
It's almost like a why not A, a,why can't I lead?
Why can't I, you know, run forvice chair of the board A.
(10:24):
A?
Why not?
There needs to be more people inorder to actually have a
representation of this country,you need to.
Different people of differentbackgrounds in various
leadership positions.
You need a black judge in thecourtroom.
(10:45):
You need a Hispanic judge in thecourtroom.
You need, we need enforcementofficers to reflect the
community, probably even be fromthe community they're serving.
There's a lot.
Appreciation and inspirationwhen you can see other people
(11:09):
that look like you do it.
And there's a lot of, I wannasay more like internal
motivation, like for me to keepgoing, whether I'm the only
female of color in the room.
Um, I'm pushing for more thanmyself.
(11:34):
And when I reflect on just likethe number of barriers, people
of all colors in the UnitedStates have had to, had, had to
gone, had, had to experience andgo through, uh, a lot of
barriers came down justrecently, like the generation
before us, like our parents.
(11:55):
And so there's a.
Of trails to be blazed, no punintended.
And, and there's a lot ofopportunities, uh, for women and
women of color to, to take onleadership.
We just got our first AfricanAmerican Supreme Court Justice,
(12:15):
uh, female Supreme CourtJustice, let me clarify that.
And, uh, and so.
It's, it's still hard tobelieve, but like in every, I
just realized Yeah.
That, that, that would've tookus down a pigeon hole.
A whole rabbit hole we don'tneed to get into.
But, um, yeah, this is, there'sso many little, there's so many
(12:39):
firsts.
Like when I was in law school, Iremember learning about the
first, oh, was it?
I forget the terminology, butlike the first president or
editor-in-chief of law review,the first African-American one,
the first this, the first that,you know, on the other side of
(12:59):
the coin is it's always beenhappening, so.
I think until all those firstbarriers have been knocked down,
and as people we're truly equalin representation in different
fields and areas.
It has to be done, and I don'tthink it can be done with the
(13:23):
mindset of just leaving.
I, I believe in giving back,showing up, not just showing
face, but showing up and, andreally standing.
For what's right in creatingopportunities and, and real
equity.
Uh, that's the why, because whynot?
(13:45):
It needs to be done.
Stephanie (13:47):
Yeah.
And then just curious, how didyour interest spark in pursuing
a career around law?
Christine (13:59):
I love to debate and argue.
And so yeah, in high school Iwasn't necessarily geared
towards becoming a lawyer.
I was re really good at math andsciences.
I pat myself on the shoulderwith that one cuz a lot of
(14:19):
lawyers are not.
Um, I was in a neurology sciencecompetition.
What really got me into it waslaw.
I did moot court in high school.
I did mock trial in high school.
I did debate in high high schooland I did parliamentary debate
(14:44):
and I love that.
And I did, um, the model un, andso I really model UN's a little
bit more.
Not necessarily the law, butpolicy international affairs.
But I loved all thoseextracurriculars.
Like it was something with theway you can argue, especially
(15:07):
with the, the mock trial and MOmock MU court, um, I had so much
fun.
I'm like, I could totally dothis.
This is, this is easy.
And then when I learned that Icould major anything in college
and still go to law school, Iwas like, well, sign me up.
I wanna do it.
I just had so much fun.
(15:28):
I think to a certain extent, asI get more experience with it,
it's a little bit.
Acting, uh, not necessarilyacting, but presentation,
storytelling, because you, as anattorney, I'm trying to com i, I
do this with the board of Ed.
I'm conveying a point, and ithas to resonate with you,
(15:53):
whether you are the jury, theaudience, the angry constituent,
the concerned parent, and I haveto make it digestible.
A common phrase I hear now is,make it make sense, but it has
to be logical it has to bereasonable and it just, it has
(16:15):
to have appeal and, and you haveto have a presence to do it.
So I I, I love the, the mockcourt trials and getting to, in
high school, you know, you'regetting the witness on the stand
to confess.
I'm like, I'm, this, is it thatexposure to law related
(16:36):
activities in high schoolsolidified what I thought I
wanted to be because, um,growing up you are either gonna
be a doctor, a lawyer, or anurse, because those were the
generic, good fields to be.
Um, but once I got actualexposure, uh, I wanted to
continue to.
(16:56):
Cool.
And then not only are you doingthat, but I've seen amazing
photos of Christine strutting itout on the runway.
How'd you get into modeling onthe side?
I was discovered uh, but I cameacross my.
(17:19):
Manager for modeling on thepolitical trail.
I was seeking endorsements fromthe Democratic party from
different, uh, districtsthroughout the city of
Bridgeport for the Board ofEducation seats.
So I could be an endorsedcandidate, which I was, and I
was at an event in Black HistoryMonth and.
(17:42):
Yeah, when I say people holdmultiple hats, um, uh, the
manager that was like, oh, youshould get into it.
I was like, eh, I, well, I, Iknow I am more than just how I
look, but like, this could befun.
The manager, he was also theformer vice president of the
(18:02):
naacp and I saw that.
A bunch of thoughts in thepolitical process, but like I
needed to, if I'm gonna run foroffice to know people, um, I
need to get out and meet as manypeople as possible.
And the idea of no bad publicityis better than no publicity.
(18:25):
And I was like, uh, The, theopportunity to, it was the
opportunity to walk duringJuneteenth in the fashion show
and I was like, sure, are yougonna mention that I'm a lawyer
so I'm not just a pretty faceand mention that I'm running for
the board of Ed so I can getvotes, Some people know who I
am.
And he was like, yeah, ofcourse.
(18:45):
Definitely.
Um, because that was really whatcatapult me to say yes to the
first fashion show I.
I, I really just wanna run foroffice and I'm trying to build a
network of community that'sgoing to know who I am.
(19:08):
And it's just been, it's beensomething fun to do in the
background, um, uh, as some ofthe modeling opportunities.
I, I really believe in the, I ammore and I can do anything.
I'm very goal oriented, so I hada goal, I'm gonna walk for
(19:30):
Harlem Week.
Okay.
I didn't even have a goal ofwalking for New York Fashion
Week, but I did and Times Squareand then you don't know this
part, but I just discovered itbecause I'm updating my vision
board cuz I'm like, I need to,uh, I already got the first
house.
(19:50):
Yeah.
I was like, I wanna do a photoshoot for a.
And I was like, yes, it came Andso I, I've had the opportunity
to accomplish a lot of stuffthat I want to in the hobby of
modeling.
(20:11):
Uh, It's all, I think inparticular, the group that I'm
in, the Faces of Beauty ModelTeam, it's also linked to a
social mission.
So we have toy drives, which Ilove because it's, it's like a
two for one.
Uh, you're doing something greatfor the community while, you
know, getting toys and giving'emout to the youth, but also it's,
(20:33):
it's an opportunity to continueto meet my constituents.
because the situation inBridgeport is somewhat, it, it
is not somewhat, it's dire.
And, and so the opportunity toevents where it's gonna get me
out in the public and keep mehumble into who I am serving and
(20:56):
why I'm doing what I'm doing,um, to put others before myself
and use the skills that I'vegained to serve.
It's, it's been a goodexperience and, and being part
of that particular modelinggroup has enabled me to do it
(21:17):
because like, there's so manymore service oriented events
that I jump up and volunteer forthan actual fashion shows, Um,
but uh, in addition, I, I willsay this to it.
(21:38):
You know, it's, it's brains,right?
But the idea of the beautyaspect, I just think it's, it's
all around a, a way of thegreater feeling of giving back,
um, you likes, like how peopledo stuff and then wanna take a
picture like, oh look, I'mfeeding the homeless and then
(22:00):
put it up for likes.
I, I don't care for that.
That's me personally, but justknowing that like I have access
to help out differentorganizations through a plethora
of different platforms.
I really love it.
And then what person doesn'twanna feel beautiful from time
to time?
So I think the, the fashionshows are also just like another
(22:22):
confidence boost to love who Iam, how I look.
Yeah.
And the, the brands.
The designers that I've walkedfor their body inclusive.
So at no point have I everthought, no, I can't walk in
this show unless I lose 10pounds.
I am who I am.
(22:43):
Uh, I'm sorry if I keeprepeating that, but like, uh,
it's a, it's a, the modelingstuff has had a plethora of
awards that's, really good to meand also help me further love
myself.
Stephanie (23:00):
That's amazing.
And like just tying back to whatyou mentioned earlier, I am more
like you're a mom, you're anattorney, you have political
roles.
and then some, how are youbalancing all those things and
(23:21):
making sure that you're beingthoughtful and impactful around
every single one of thoseaspects of your life.
Christine (23:29):
Uh, I calendar, and I prioritize, and I try to
understand what's in my locus ofcontrol, like with my daughter.
Her father and I we're workingreally good together now, and
it's that balance, like whenit's mommy time, I try my
(23:50):
hardest not to have thatconflict with any other activity
because if not to anybody else,if, if no one else is gonna see
or know who I am, she will.
Before anybody else or any otherchild, the number one role model
I have to be is to her and I seeher mimic me, and it's, it's
(24:15):
beautiful and scary at the sametime.
I mean, that's just Parenthoodin general is like, oh my God.
There's a little, like lookingto me for the answers and I
don't know all the answers.
Um, but as a parent it's like,I'm going to find a way.
I, I think parenthood hasdefinitely moved me towards a
(24:38):
find a way mentality, and, andI've seen the benefits for my
daughter.
I've seen the benefits for mewhere I've been able to give her
experiences in life that Ididn't have as a child, and you
know.
Actually in a lot of themodeling events, she goes with
(24:58):
me as well cuz there's childmodeling opportunities and she
wanted to do it.
She saw me doing it and evenwith the Board of Ed that
inspired her to run for studentcouncil.
And I work hybrid, so the dayswhere I do work from home, she's
working too.
(25:19):
And.
It's a rewarding experience tosee your children adopt healthy
lifestyles and, and goalsbecause they're watching it from
you.
Um, you know, as a parent, buteven an outside, like, as a role
model, it's always good to havelike, you know, a good community
(25:41):
because it, it takes a village.
But yeah.
I love the mom aspect.
I'm just, I'm thinking about mydaughter now, like, I'm so proud
of her and she was the only,well see, look, talking about
breaking barriers from early,uh, there was just an awards
banquet for Caribe here inBridgeport, and she plays
(26:03):
basketball, oh, I don't know,Caribe.
Uh, it is Bridgeport Caribeyouth Leaders, and it's a
nonprofit organization inBridgeport and it offers sports
opportunities, but there's aneducational component to it as
well.
And so we had signed Gabby upto, that's my daughter's name.
(26:26):
We signed her up to do thebasketball program and they had
like the end of the seasonbanquet.
I, I won't lie, I was reallyshocked when she was the, I, I,
I had to, I would have to doublecheck, but, um, maybe students
(26:46):
weren't there at the banquet.
But as far as students presentat the banquet, she was the only
female student to receivestraight A's high honors That
was on the basketball league.
And then there was another childI know that was not there cuz
it's her cousin.
And he was the only boy toreceive straight A's, and high
(27:12):
honors, but he wasn't there.
So, uh, even in that capacity,watching her stand up and be
like, the only girl, like, uh, Iwant some girl power.
I want more black girl magic.
Like, what am I going to do?
Because I was actually standingthere, uh, all elected officials
(27:32):
that were present at the banquetgot to stand there and be with
the children and give them theirtrophies and their certificates.
And I'm like, we gotta, we gottaup the magic.
We have to inspire.
I was like, it's great.
It's, you know, I, as a parent,I'm beaming, I'm proud, but
(27:53):
because I'm holding other hats,I'm.
Where's the rest of myBridgeport public students?
Where's the rest of myBridgeport girls at?
Stephanie (28:00):
And how do you focus on moving the needle there?
Christine (28:07):
With my role on the board of Education, it's more
policies and making sure thatfrom the executive level it's
being implemented, building tobuilding.
Um, It also takes showing up,uh, to let the students know you
(28:29):
care.
I mean, when I was a kid, Ididn't know what a board of
education was.
I knew my principal, myteachers, the vice principal
that was the community, butactually seeing members of the
Board of Ed of no, uh, but beinga member of the board.
(28:50):
The policies and the leadershipthat's actually going to move
this needle with the students.
That's where I'm a part of.
And whether it's a wellness innutrition policy, being up to
date to make sure the studentsare fed, so they come to school
able bodied and, you know, readyto learn and not worried about
(29:14):
food.
Um, whether it's a policy foranti-bullying, but also making
sure that on the district levelteachers are equipped to know
and are getting the professionaldevelopment so they can actually
manage their classrooms.
Cuz strong classroom managementwill reduce chaos in the
(29:35):
classroom.
The kids are too busy learningto get into other stuff.
Um, taking, the role from therecuz I don't think I mentioned
earlier, but I used to teach andso a lot of the areas where I
felt helpless as a teacher, I amon the policy arm now and as a
(29:56):
lawyer, I can use thatexperience and hopefully I hope
I am making the best policiesand trying to actually show face
to the, the entire city ofBridgeport Public School
students and just students ingeneral.
I care because their success cuzthey should be my future
(30:16):
doctors, they should be myfuture business owners.
they should be my future, um,trades, whatever I need.
You know, it's, it's more thanjust doctors and lawyers.
Right?
It's cuz I was like breakingthose stereotypes.
Stephanie (30:31):
Right.
They're the future period
Christine (30:35):
and I want to
Stephanie (30:36):
All things positive
Christine (30:37):
Yeah.
All things positive and, and Iwant them to see that they are
all things positive and thatthis, my generation, we're
taking our time to invest inthem.
So, so that they can improve.
Like I, it's, it's a buildup,it's a community buildup.
And, they're still gonna befirst, but like I said, until
(31:00):
there's no more, first there'swork to be done.
Stephanie (31:05):
Yeah, most definitely.
And then just taking a moment toreflect, um, It's still so much
opportunity for growth andlearning at this point in time.
what would you tell the youngerversion of yourself based on
where you're at?
Christine (31:23):
If I could tell the younger version of myself one
thing, everything's gonna beokay with God.
Uh, I have had so manyexperiences that have kind of
come full circle.
Um, that's just been motivating.
(31:48):
And at the time I was like, whyam I going through this?
Um, that, I'll go back to theteaching example.
Cause we, we graduated a not soamazing market And I remember
when I was graduating fromCornell, we were told, don't go
to law school.
It's a terrible idea.
(32:08):
The the market and that that wasin part, and I wanted to teach
and I said, well, I was like, ifthis is not the time to go to
law school, I'm going to teach.
I did Teach for America and youknow, I still wanted to.
Stephanie (32:26):
And then where did you, you do Teach for America?
Christine (32:30):
I taught in Baton Rouge.
Well, no, I taught in Jackson.
No, Felician.
It's Felician.
Oh my God.
I haven't taught in so long.
I'm forgetting where I taught inLouisiana, but I taught in
Louisiana and it was, oh my God.
Why am I drawing a blank?
(32:51):
Well, that's how old I am.
Stephanie (32:55):
Well, you taught in Louisiana.
Christine (32:58):
Yeah, but I'm trying to remember the parish.
I wanna say it was E Fe.
It was East Feliciana Parish,which is about an hour north of
Baton Rouge.
I had lived in Baton Rouge andwas commuting up to my school,
um, and I taught high schoolSpanish.
And part of the reason I had awhy, why God moment.
(33:18):
I had moved to Louisiana toteach middle school math.
And so to get a change in theage of my students and a change
in the subject matter, I waslike, why?
And I don't regret it.
I feel like I may have dreadedit more back then.
And I was like, if this was thecase, this would be the policy
(33:40):
and this is the requirements forteachers.
And then I was like, well, I'mgonna be a lawyer, so I don't
see how I'm going to actuallyimplement that.
But then I became a mother, andI'll tell you this.
If one thing is gonna make youthink about the education system
ever again as an adult who's notin that field working, is having
(34:03):
a child because where you liveand where they go to school.
That whole being young, singleand, and that that changes and
your zip code matters.
And what are their testingperformance?
So all the, the things I learnedin the policies from, uh, I was
(34:26):
like, I would change if X, Y,and Z when I was teacher came
full circle.
When oh, I'm a parent now, andthis is the conditions of the
school and the neighborhood Igrow.
I, I mean, I'm livingin.
And I wanna live amongst peoplethat look like me, but the
schools are bad.
(34:48):
And so I do, I just sit back anddo nothing about it.
I'm a lawyer now.
Policy that's, I could do that.
Reading, I could do that.
Advocating for children, I'mdoing that with my daughter.
And when I look at my, thegreater community and these
children, they need advocates.
(35:08):
That's actually gonna look welladvocates, period.
You care.
You care.
But I feel that I relate to thestudents and like I said, their
success is critical becausethere's so many firsts in the
Black and Latino community to bedone.
and, and we need to continue tomove forward.
(35:32):
And so I was like, there was apoint like, why am I doing this
God when I was in the twentiesto, well, I'm a lawyer, but then
I have a child.
So no, this is an issue and Ican get involved.
And really, it's, it's balanceand calendaring.
I, I try to keep, as much aspossible to my word.
(35:55):
Even though sometimes I maydouble book, I try to make it
happen.
And on days like this, uh, whereI have off, I'm, I've tried.
I no way at one any point do Isay I'm perfect.
But am I passionate?
Yes.
Do I care?
Yes.
Do I wanna see success amongstmy, my community?
Yes.
(36:16):
And I think those are key.
And so, yeah.
I'm trying, I.
I let my younger self success inlife is not linear because some
of the biggest, absolutely.
The biggest learning and lessonsyou're gonna get are from
mistakes.
You don't sit and go, dang, howdid I win this case?
(36:37):
Oh, I must have kicked buttwinning this case or winning
this argument.
No.
It's when you have to take thatL and you're like, no, how do I
become better?
I don't wanna lose again, andI'm that kind of person I'll
like, I wanna be better.
Stephanie (36:54):
Right.
I was working on a vision boardand one of the things that I
wrote down is I wanna build anew habit of seeing mistakes as
learning opportunities.
And, you know, it's, it'ssomething I've sort of done in
the past, but like when you'rein it, a mistake is a mistake.
(37:16):
And I find myself being hard.
On myself, but at the end of theday, it is an opportunity to
learn and build from it.
Um, so I love that.
Christine (37:29):
You brought that up and, it just reminded me of one
of the cases I worked on and Ihad took over the case from
another associate.
And when I say that lawyer hitme with no mercy back and back,
it was, I internalized it aslike, I must have did something
(37:52):
wrong, but I took it as, nah, Iwas gonna call myself something
else just now.
But nah, you got a game plan.
You have to focus.
You have to use it.
And it worked out perfectly formy client in the end.
And one of the things with likelearning from that mistake,
(38:13):
girl, when I say I had anotherclient and I was like, oh, well
I done learned the game plan,and was able to hit a motion
out, very similar strategictactic because I was like, I
just seen this in motion and Iwas able to learn from that
mistake and actually implementit as a strategy for another
client.
I love it.
(38:33):
I mean it's, it's a.
It's not easy, but I will sayover the years learning to be
more receptive to feedback, I,that's been just a big part in
my legal journey.
Um, cause I'm, I think it's justthe competitive nature.
(38:56):
It's like, okay, bet.
Like okay, let's go.
So do I like negative criticism?
Baseless criticism?
Unsubstantiated criticism?
No, not at all.
And I think it should be adistinguishment from that cuz
you, but at the firm, we're allon the same team.
(39:19):
On the board of Ed for the mostpart, we're all on the same
team.
And so a criticism that's goingto help.
Be a better advocate or a betterattorney.
Uh, I'm going to, I'm going totake it, internalize it and use
it.
Um, but I just also wanna likedistinguish like there are some
(39:39):
people that make comments thatare just straight up from hate
and are baseless and, uh, you,you are with time to your, how
you're going to grow.
and, and take stuff in and to acertain extent, um, know that
Stephanie (39:59):
Yeah.
Setting boundaries and filters.
Christine (40:01):
Exactly.
Yep.
Stephanie (40:04):
And then as we wrap it up, um, just wanting to hear
from you, what's next on thehorizon for Christine?
Like what all do you want to do?
Christine (40:23):
What's next on the horizon?
I definitely want, I could thinkcareer-wise, I definitely want
more trial experience.
Um, my goal is, and I wasexplaining this, like I wanna
have something seminal.
(40:43):
I wanna argue before the SupremeCourt.
I want to advocate for thatpiece of law that's going to
change lives.
Um, that's what I wanna do as anattorney.
Uh, in terms for the board ofEd, I wanna be that fir if it's
(41:03):
has not been done.
And that's not to offend anyonethat's was on the board before
me, but there is a domino.
and I've been very public and,and this is a situation in
Bridgeport where we've hadstudents in grades with a
hundred percent failure.
I was like, when I'm asking thatno kid or, or that no school has
(41:27):
a hundred percent failure in anygrade and no a hundred percent
failure for me, I think that'slow.
But I was like, if that's goingto be the first domino to get
everything in order.
because I, I know of my limits,and I know Rome wasn't built in
(41:50):
a day, but it was built.
And so setting those standards,because it is not a, oh my God,
standard.
It is almost like what can youdo?
These are babies.
These are, uh, I mean,especially for the non-high
school students.
and, and the particular exampleI'm bringing up is with a local,
(42:15):
um, school very close to mewhere my daughter could have
went to school, right?
So there is a personal aspect tothis, that these are my
neighbor's children, and so Iwant to look out for my
neighbors.
So when I'm setting a goal forthe board is that we implement
support.
We need to identify what's goingon with the teachers.
(42:37):
So that they're getting thesupport to support our students
and, and all around thecomplexities towards student
achievement.
I wanna be that first domino.
I wanna know that the policythat we worked on and reworking
to make the board a strongerboard going forward will
actually have, uh, a return inour time and investment because
(43:01):
it is an unpaid position, um,that I see more students
success.
Uh, you know, I, that's, that'sreally all I wanna see.
Stephanie (43:12):
Yeah.
And that's amazing.
Christine (43:14):
And I mean, What's next?
I'm open to the abundantopportunities that come my way.
Um, what's next?
Uh, I did allude to it earlierthat I've been reached out by
different organizations to jointheir boards and, you know, some
(43:35):
self-reflection.
Making sure I can balance,because it's not just about
collecting titles, but actuallyputting in work.
Uh, I am going to accept thoseroles and I'm pretty sure, uh, I
know it is all going to workout.
I'm telling this to my presentform because I know in the, it's
worked out in the past and so,yeah.
(43:59):
Yeah.
Why not
Stephanie (44:02):
Yeah.
Keep going.
I love it.
I love to hear it.
Well, thank you so much,Christine for sharing your time.
Sharing your experience andsharing your wisdom with us.
Christine (44:16):
Oh, thank you guys for having me.
Oh, you're amazing.
So, of course, when I would sayyour amazing Barry Barks, and
you probably, I did hear Barry.
Barry was showing his supporttoo, but you're amazing.
You are inspiring to me and.
(44:39):
This is what I mean by like justuplifting each other because
just presence, and being thereand putting yourself out there,
that's, that's inspirational.
So I love you.
Thank you for having me.
And I'm actually gonna run overto one of my schools now.
Stephanie (44:59):
Yeah.
All right, cool.
Well talk to you later.
Christine (45:03):
Okay.
Love you.
A million.
Stephanie (45:05):
And that's a wrap, so own it and make moves one day.
I wanna share your journey onthis podcast.
I wanna have something seminal.
I wanna argue before the SupremeCourt.
I want to advocate for thatpiece of law that's going to
change lives.
Stephanie (00:14):
I am Stephanie Evans, and this is Diaries of a Modern
Trailblazer.
Take note of the journey and beinspired to forge your own
amazing path.
I am so excited to have you,Christine, on this podcast
today.
Christine (00:33):
No, thank you.
Stephanie (00:33):
Can you believe we've known each other for like, it
just feels like forever.
Christine (00:40):
Yeah.
That was a good move.
That was good.
Not saying the number.
Thank you.
Stephanie (00:47):
So really, let's just start off from the beginning.
Like tell us about who you are,where you come from.
Who is Christine?
Christine (00:57):
Well, I'm Christine Baptiste Perez.
I'm a mother.
I'm a lawyer in Bridgeport,Connecticut.
I hold multiple hats, but Ijust, not to undermine my
greatness, but I like to justsay I am.
A human being on a journey justtrying to make my life and my
(01:20):
community better.
And so with that, I serve onBridgeport's Board of Education
as its vice chair.
And there's a few otheropportunities I'm looking to
take on where it's gonna give memore leadership op uh, a
leadership role in thecommunity.
But I don't wanna put the cartbefore the horse with announcing
(01:40):
those.
But those are the three bigroles I.
And as far as who I am, I'm agirl from Brooklyn.
No, uh, I'm originally fromBrownsville, Brooklyn, New York.
I am a first generation collegestudent.
I went to Cornell Universitywhere we met at an undisclosed
(02:04):
date for the public and.
Really just trying to make theclients that I serve as an
attorney resolve their legalissues and with the role with
the board resolve issues ineducation for the city of
(02:24):
Bridgeport.
Being a mom and the mom aspectof my life, I think that's the
most rewarding and the fun part.
Um, but yeah
Stephanie (02:33):
so just taking a step back, you mentioned that you're
a first generation collegestudent.
What, what drove you to pursuinghigher education?
Christine (02:47):
Um, I was always motivated, first and foremost
for my dad.
My dad play, and my mom wasalways there too, but my dad
was, the gasoline and the fire.
He always pushed me to be.
The nickname I have from him is,number one, he pushed me to be
my best self.
(03:09):
Um, and really ignited thecompetitive aspect.
And he always told me when I waslittle, I was gonna be able to
accomplish what he wasn't ableto.
And so he was like, you're goingto go to college, you're gonna
go to one of the bestuniversities in the world.
And at that time he was like,you're gonna go to.
But I think he just never heardof Cornell.
So that always stuck with me,and I remember being a little
(03:34):
girl and he was telling me I'mgoing to accomplish what he
wasn't.
And he would pretty much justhave my back to doing it.
That first indication of goingto college came from him, and
then I would really say it wasamplified and supported by the
(03:54):
educational community I was in.
And so my teachers weresupportive and motivated and
encouraging me to go to college,apply to the best schools, and
not limit myself.
Or the opportunities that I waspresented with.
(04:15):
So that's what, uh, really all,I give a ton of credit to my
father.
It was him and, uh, my familyand then my teachers in school
that really encouraged me to goto college.
Stephanie (04:31):
So one of the things I don't think we really touched
on is that you identify as blackand Hispanic.
And so I'm just curious, how doyou balance representing both in
your academic and yourprofessional pursuits?
Christine (04:51):
It's really, uh, somewhat complex.
I think it to a certain extent,and I remember.
Uh, at Cornell, I have phrasedone of my upper classmate
writing requirements.
One of the papers I wrote, Itermed it instead of like, you
(05:13):
know, the color of your skin.
It's pigmented privilege to acertain extent.
And you know, people are gonnaidentify you with how they see
you initially, and I know frommy physical features I favor,
uh, my father.
and that I am light-skinned withfreckles.
(05:35):
And depending on how I wear myhair, it could be curly, it
could be straight.
Um, but I embrace my Trinidadianinside and the African diaspora
and the story.
Uh, well, not the story, thehistory of how Africans were
brought into the Americas,including the Latin America and
(05:58):
the West Indies.
Um, uh, I, I embrace both, andto.
Certain extent, like I wanna beacknowledged as both because I
feel that it, you know, how youidentify is always going to be
key.
(06:18):
I was born in America, so I fallinto the category of African
American, but my father's PuertoRican, so I'm gonna also
identify as Puerto Rican.
I think one of the best thingsthat's happening now is that
this embraces to the idea of whoI am.
I am more than just what'sbeneath your eyes.
(06:39):
And I'm more, uh, complex and Ithink that's why a lot of
people.
Are trying to find out theirbackgrounds with like the, an
those genetic testings, theancestry.
Um, and, and I wanna embrace itbecause when I stand up in
different capacities, there'sstill roles where I am.
(07:03):
Still the only female in theroom.
I'm still either the onlyHispanic Latino female in the
room.
And there's times where I'm theonly black person in the room.
And so I, I appreciate thosetimes where it feels like
there's barriers to breakthroughand I don't wanna ignore who I
(07:25):
am because I think part ofbuilding up a generation.
And I'm experiencing this right,a lot right now with the Board
of Ed, but also inspiring ageneration of you is showing
them that people before them wholook like them, who are mixed
like them, can do it so they cando it too.
(07:45):
And so I get really, um, I, Ireally wanna acknowledge that I
am mixed and I, and.
You know, both are equallyimportant to me.
Both are part of my identity,and I embrace, both sides.
I mean, so I, I acknowledge Ilove it, and that's who I am.
Stephanie (08:09):
Absolutely.
And to that point, like what isyour why behind what you've done
thus far?
And I know that there's just somuch more for you to tackle
along the way.
And have you seen it evolve asyou've matured over the years
Christine (08:30):
when it comes to being a lawyer?
Like I.
And the, I sound like thegeneric law school application,
like I always wanted to do it.
When I was little I was involvedin debate, but I was also very
passionate about educationbecause in part with my father's
(08:50):
influence, I started to realizein the area I was growing up,
cuz I'm from the projects.
People that look like me, Ididn't see too many of them
striving.
And the first group of educatedblack and Hispanic teachers, I
had, uh, or black and Hispanic.
(09:12):
Individuals in my life that wereeducated were my teachers.
And I had one teacher inparticular, Mr.
Holmes, and he was black andPuerto Rican.
It was a great eye-opener and italso just to have a male teacher
in the classroom was different,in terms of the drive, knowing
that there weren't a lot ofpeople in that look like me,
(09:38):
aside from my teachers.
In different fields like lawyersor doctors and that really had
like an impact us to, it'simportant to move forward, but
also kind of give back and showyourself because just in my
presence alone, um, can inspire.
(10:02):
So the why behind.
Do or why I've taken the path inlife.
It's almost like a why not A, a,why can't I lead?
Why can't I, you know, run forvice chair of the board A.
(10:24):
A?
Why not?
There needs to be more people inorder to actually have a
representation of this country,you need to.
Different people of differentbackgrounds in various
leadership positions.
You need a black judge in thecourtroom.
(10:45):
You need a Hispanic judge in thecourtroom.
You need, we need enforcementofficers to reflect the
community, probably even be fromthe community they're serving.
There's a lot.
Appreciation and inspirationwhen you can see other people
(11:09):
that look like you do it.
And there's a lot of, I wannasay more like internal
motivation, like for me to keepgoing, whether I'm the only
female of color in the room.
Um, I'm pushing for more thanmyself.
(11:34):
And when I reflect on just likethe number of barriers, people
of all colors in the UnitedStates have had to, had, had to
gone, had, had to experience andgo through, uh, a lot of
barriers came down justrecently, like the generation
before us, like our parents.
(11:55):
And so there's a.
Of trails to be blazed, no punintended.
And, and there's a lot ofopportunities, uh, for women and
women of color to, to take onleadership.
We just got our first AfricanAmerican Supreme Court Justice,
(12:15):
uh, female Supreme CourtJustice, let me clarify that.
And, uh, and so.
It's, it's still hard tobelieve, but like in every, I
just realized Yeah.
That, that, that would've tookus down a pigeon hole.
A whole rabbit hole we don'tneed to get into.
But, um, yeah, this is, there'sso many little, there's so many
(12:39):
firsts.
Like when I was in law school, Iremember learning about the
first, oh, was it?
I forget the terminology, butlike the first president or
editor-in-chief of law review,the first African-American one,
the first this, the first that,you know, on the other side of
(12:59):
the coin is it's always beenhappening, so.
I think until all those firstbarriers have been knocked down,
and as people we're truly equalin representation in different
fields and areas.
It has to be done, and I don'tthink it can be done with the
(13:23):
mindset of just leaving.
I, I believe in giving back,showing up, not just showing
face, but showing up and, andreally standing.
For what's right in creatingopportunities and, and real
equity.
Uh, that's the why, because whynot?
(13:45):
It needs to be done.
Stephanie (13:47):
Yeah.
And then just curious, how didyour interest spark in pursuing
a career around law?
Christine (13:59):
I love to debate and argue.
And so yeah, in high school Iwasn't necessarily geared
towards becoming a lawyer.
I was re really good at math andsciences.
I pat myself on the shoulderwith that one cuz a lot of
(14:19):
lawyers are not.
Um, I was in a neurology sciencecompetition.
What really got me into it waslaw.
I did moot court in high school.
I did mock trial in high school.
I did debate in high high schooland I did parliamentary debate
(14:44):
and I love that.
And I did, um, the model un, andso I really model UN's a little
bit more.
Not necessarily the law, butpolicy international affairs.
But I loved all thoseextracurriculars.
Like it was something with theway you can argue, especially
(15:07):
with the, the mock trial and MOmock MU court, um, I had so much
fun.
I'm like, I could totally dothis.
This is, this is easy.
And then when I learned that Icould major anything in college
and still go to law school, Iwas like, well, sign me up.
I wanna do it.
I just had so much fun.
(15:28):
I think to a certain extent, asI get more experience with it,
it's a little bit.
Acting, uh, not necessarilyacting, but presentation,
storytelling, because you, as anattorney, I'm trying to com i, I
do this with the board of Ed.
I'm conveying a point, and ithas to resonate with you,
(15:53):
whether you are the jury, theaudience, the angry constituent,
the concerned parent, and I haveto make it digestible.
A common phrase I hear now is,make it make sense, but it has
to be logical it has to bereasonable and it just, it has
(16:15):
to have appeal and, and you haveto have a presence to do it.
So I I, I love the, the mockcourt trials and getting to, in
high school, you know, you'regetting the witness on the stand
to confess.
I'm like, I'm, this, is it thatexposure to law related
(16:36):
activities in high schoolsolidified what I thought I
wanted to be because, um,growing up you are either gonna
be a doctor, a lawyer, or anurse, because those were the
generic, good fields to be.
Um, but once I got actualexposure, uh, I wanted to
continue to.
(16:56):
Cool.
And then not only are you doingthat, but I've seen amazing
photos of Christine strutting itout on the runway.
How'd you get into modeling onthe side?
I was discovered uh, but I cameacross my.
(17:19):
Manager for modeling on thepolitical trail.
I was seeking endorsements fromthe Democratic party from
different, uh, districtsthroughout the city of
Bridgeport for the Board ofEducation seats.
So I could be an endorsedcandidate, which I was, and I
was at an event in Black HistoryMonth and.
(17:42):
Yeah, when I say people holdmultiple hats, um, uh, the
manager that was like, oh, youshould get into it.
I was like, eh, I, well, I, Iknow I am more than just how I
look, but like, this could befun.
The manager, he was also theformer vice president of the
(18:02):
naacp and I saw that.
A bunch of thoughts in thepolitical process, but like I
needed to, if I'm gonna run foroffice to know people, um, I
need to get out and meet as manypeople as possible.
And the idea of no bad publicityis better than no publicity.
(18:25):
And I was like, uh, The, theopportunity to, it was the
opportunity to walk duringJuneteenth in the fashion show
and I was like, sure, are yougonna mention that I'm a lawyer
so I'm not just a pretty faceand mention that I'm running for
the board of Ed so I can getvotes, Some people know who I
am.
And he was like, yeah, ofcourse.
(18:45):
Definitely.
Um, because that was really whatcatapult me to say yes to the
first fashion show I.
I, I really just wanna run foroffice and I'm trying to build a
network of community that'sgoing to know who I am.
(19:08):
And it's just been, it's beensomething fun to do in the
background, um, uh, as some ofthe modeling opportunities.
I, I really believe in the, I ammore and I can do anything.
I'm very goal oriented, so I hada goal, I'm gonna walk for
(19:30):
Harlem Week.
Okay.
I didn't even have a goal ofwalking for New York Fashion
Week, but I did and Times Squareand then you don't know this
part, but I just discovered itbecause I'm updating my vision
board cuz I'm like, I need to,uh, I already got the first
house.
(19:50):
Yeah.
I was like, I wanna do a photoshoot for a.
And I was like, yes, it came Andso I, I've had the opportunity
to accomplish a lot of stuffthat I want to in the hobby of
modeling.
(20:11):
Uh, It's all, I think inparticular, the group that I'm
in, the Faces of Beauty ModelTeam, it's also linked to a
social mission.
So we have toy drives, which Ilove because it's, it's like a
two for one.
Uh, you're doing something greatfor the community while, you
know, getting toys and giving'emout to the youth, but also it's,
(20:33):
it's an opportunity to continueto meet my constituents.
because the situation inBridgeport is somewhat, it, it
is not somewhat, it's dire.
And, and so the opportunity toevents where it's gonna get me
out in the public and keep mehumble into who I am serving and
(20:56):
why I'm doing what I'm doing,um, to put others before myself
and use the skills that I'vegained to serve.
It's, it's been a goodexperience and, and being part
of that particular modelinggroup has enabled me to do it
(21:17):
because like, there's so manymore service oriented events
that I jump up and volunteer forthan actual fashion shows, Um,
but uh, in addition, I, I willsay this to it.
(21:38):
You know, it's, it's brains,right?
But the idea of the beautyaspect, I just think it's, it's
all around a, a way of thegreater feeling of giving back,
um, you likes, like how peopledo stuff and then wanna take a
picture like, oh look, I'mfeeding the homeless and then
(22:00):
put it up for likes.
I, I don't care for that.
That's me personally, but justknowing that like I have access
to help out differentorganizations through a plethora
of different platforms.
I really love it.
And then what person doesn'twanna feel beautiful from time
to time?
So I think the, the fashionshows are also just like another
(22:22):
confidence boost to love who Iam, how I look.
Yeah.
And the, the brands.
The designers that I've walkedfor their body inclusive.
So at no point have I everthought, no, I can't walk in
this show unless I lose 10pounds.
I am who I am.
(22:43):
Uh, I'm sorry if I keeprepeating that, but like, uh,
it's a, it's a, the modelingstuff has had a plethora of
awards that's, really good to meand also help me further love
myself.
Stephanie (23:00):
That's amazing.
And like just tying back to whatyou mentioned earlier, I am more
like you're a mom, you're anattorney, you have political
roles.
and then some, how are youbalancing all those things and
(23:21):
making sure that you're beingthoughtful and impactful around
every single one of thoseaspects of your life.
Christine (23:29):
Uh, I calendar, and I prioritize, and I try to
understand what's in my locus ofcontrol, like with my daughter.
Her father and I we're workingreally good together now, and
it's that balance, like whenit's mommy time, I try my
(23:50):
hardest not to have thatconflict with any other activity
because if not to anybody else,if, if no one else is gonna see
or know who I am, she will.
Before anybody else or any otherchild, the number one role model
I have to be is to her and I seeher mimic me, and it's, it's
(24:15):
beautiful and scary at the sametime.
I mean, that's just Parenthoodin general is like, oh my God.
There's a little, like lookingto me for the answers and I
don't know all the answers.
Um, but as a parent it's like,I'm going to find a way.
I, I think parenthood hasdefinitely moved me towards a
(24:38):
find a way mentality, and, andI've seen the benefits for my
daughter.
I've seen the benefits for mewhere I've been able to give her
experiences in life that Ididn't have as a child, and you
know.
Actually in a lot of themodeling events, she goes with
(24:58):
me as well cuz there's childmodeling opportunities and she
wanted to do it.
She saw me doing it and evenwith the Board of Ed that
inspired her to run for studentcouncil.
And I work hybrid, so the dayswhere I do work from home, she's
working too.
(25:19):
And.
It's a rewarding experience tosee your children adopt healthy
lifestyles and, and goalsbecause they're watching it from
you.
Um, you know, as a parent, buteven an outside, like, as a role
model, it's always good to havelike, you know, a good community
(25:41):
because it, it takes a village.
But yeah.
I love the mom aspect.
I'm just, I'm thinking about mydaughter now, like, I'm so proud
of her and she was the only,well see, look, talking about
breaking barriers from early,uh, there was just an awards
banquet for Caribe here inBridgeport, and she plays
(26:03):
basketball, oh, I don't know,Caribe.
Uh, it is Bridgeport Caribeyouth Leaders, and it's a
nonprofit organization inBridgeport and it offers sports
opportunities, but there's aneducational component to it as
well.
And so we had signed Gabby upto, that's my daughter's name.
(26:26):
We signed her up to do thebasketball program and they had
like the end of the seasonbanquet.
I, I won't lie, I was reallyshocked when she was the, I, I,
I had to, I would have to doublecheck, but, um, maybe students
(26:46):
weren't there at the banquet.
But as far as students presentat the banquet, she was the only
female student to receivestraight A's high honors That
was on the basketball league.
And then there was another childI know that was not there cuz
it's her cousin.
And he was the only boy toreceive straight A's, and high
(27:12):
honors, but he wasn't there.
So, uh, even in that capacity,watching her stand up and be
like, the only girl, like, uh, Iwant some girl power.
I want more black girl magic.
Like, what am I going to do?
Because I was actually standingthere, uh, all elected officials
(27:32):
that were present at the banquetgot to stand there and be with
the children and give them theirtrophies and their certificates.
And I'm like, we gotta, we gottaup the magic.
We have to inspire.
I was like, it's great.
It's, you know, I, as a parent,I'm beaming, I'm proud, but
(27:53):
because I'm holding other hats,I'm.
Where's the rest of myBridgeport public students?
Where's the rest of myBridgeport girls at?
Stephanie (28:00):
And how do you focus on moving the needle there?
Christine (28:07):
With my role on the board of Education, it's more
policies and making sure thatfrom the executive level it's
being implemented, building tobuilding.
Um, It also takes showing up,uh, to let the students know you
(28:29):
care.
I mean, when I was a kid, Ididn't know what a board of
education was.
I knew my principal, myteachers, the vice principal
that was the community, butactually seeing members of the
Board of Ed of no, uh, but beinga member of the board.
(28:50):
The policies and the leadershipthat's actually going to move
this needle with the students.
That's where I'm a part of.
And whether it's a wellness innutrition policy, being up to
date to make sure the studentsare fed, so they come to school
able bodied and, you know, readyto learn and not worried about
(29:14):
food.
Um, whether it's a policy foranti-bullying, but also making
sure that on the district levelteachers are equipped to know
and are getting the professionaldevelopment so they can actually
manage their classrooms.
Cuz strong classroom managementwill reduce chaos in the
(29:35):
classroom.
The kids are too busy learningto get into other stuff.
Um, taking, the role from therecuz I don't think I mentioned
earlier, but I used to teach andso a lot of the areas where I
felt helpless as a teacher, I amon the policy arm now and as a
(29:56):
lawyer, I can use thatexperience and hopefully I hope
I am making the best policiesand trying to actually show face
to the, the entire city ofBridgeport Public School
students and just students ingeneral.
I care because their success cuzthey should be my future
(30:16):
doctors, they should be myfuture business owners.
they should be my future, um,trades, whatever I need.
You know, it's, it's more thanjust doctors and lawyers.
Right?
It's cuz I was like breakingthose stereotypes.
Stephanie (30:31):
Right.
They're the future period
Christine (30:35):
and I want to
Stephanie (30:36):
All things positive
Christine (30:37):
Yeah.
All things positive and, and Iwant them to see that they are
all things positive and thatthis, my generation, we're
taking our time to invest inthem.
So, so that they can improve.
Like I, it's, it's a buildup,it's a community buildup.
And, they're still gonna befirst, but like I said, until
(31:00):
there's no more, first there'swork to be done.
Stephanie (31:05):
Yeah, most definitely.
And then just taking a moment toreflect, um, It's still so much
opportunity for growth andlearning at this point in time.
what would you tell the youngerversion of yourself based on
where you're at?
Christine (31:23):
If I could tell the younger version of myself one
thing, everything's gonna beokay with God.
Uh, I have had so manyexperiences that have kind of
come full circle.
Um, that's just been motivating.
(31:48):
And at the time I was like, whyam I going through this?
Um, that, I'll go back to theteaching example.
Cause we, we graduated a not soamazing market And I remember
when I was graduating fromCornell, we were told, don't go
to law school.
It's a terrible idea.
(32:08):
The the market and that that wasin part, and I wanted to teach
and I said, well, I was like, ifthis is not the time to go to
law school, I'm going to teach.
I did Teach for America and youknow, I still wanted to.
Stephanie (32:26):
And then where did you, you do Teach for America?
Christine (32:30):
I taught in Baton Rouge.
Well, no, I taught in Jackson.
No, Felician.
It's Felician.
Oh my God.
I haven't taught in so long.
I'm forgetting where I taught inLouisiana, but I taught in
Louisiana and it was, oh my God.
Why am I drawing a blank?
(32:51):
Well, that's how old I am.
Stephanie (32:55):
Well, you taught in Louisiana.
Christine (32:58):
Yeah, but I'm trying to remember the parish.
I wanna say it was E Fe.
It was East Feliciana Parish,which is about an hour north of
Baton Rouge.
I had lived in Baton Rouge andwas commuting up to my school,
um, and I taught high schoolSpanish.
And part of the reason I had awhy, why God moment.
(33:18):
I had moved to Louisiana toteach middle school math.
And so to get a change in theage of my students and a change
in the subject matter, I waslike, why?
And I don't regret it.
I feel like I may have dreadedit more back then.
And I was like, if this was thecase, this would be the policy
(33:40):
and this is the requirements forteachers.
And then I was like, well, I'mgonna be a lawyer, so I don't
see how I'm going to actuallyimplement that.
But then I became a mother, andI'll tell you this.
If one thing is gonna make youthink about the education system
ever again as an adult who's notin that field working, is having
(34:03):
a child because where you liveand where they go to school.
That whole being young, singleand, and that that changes and
your zip code matters.
And what are their testingperformance?
So all the, the things I learnedin the policies from, uh, I was
(34:26):
like, I would change if X, Y,and Z when I was teacher came
full circle.
When oh, I'm a parent now, andthis is the conditions of the
school and the neighborhood Igrow.
I, I mean, I'm livingin.
And I wanna live amongst peoplethat look like me, but the
schools are bad.
(34:48):
And so I do, I just sit back anddo nothing about it.
I'm a lawyer now.
Policy that's, I could do that.
Reading, I could do that.
Advocating for children, I'mdoing that with my daughter.
And when I look at my, thegreater community and these
children, they need advocates.
(35:08):
That's actually gonna look welladvocates, period.
You care.
You care.
But I feel that I relate to thestudents and like I said, their
success is critical becausethere's so many firsts in the
Black and Latino community to bedone.
and, and we need to continue tomove forward.
(35:32):
And so I was like, there was apoint like, why am I doing this
God when I was in the twentiesto, well, I'm a lawyer, but then
I have a child.
So no, this is an issue and Ican get involved.
And really, it's, it's balanceand calendaring.
I, I try to keep, as much aspossible to my word.
(35:55):
Even though sometimes I maydouble book, I try to make it
happen.
And on days like this, uh, whereI have off, I'm, I've tried.
I no way at one any point do Isay I'm perfect.
But am I passionate?
Yes.
Do I care?
Yes.
Do I wanna see success amongstmy, my community?
Yes.
(36:16):
And I think those are key.
And so, yeah.
I'm trying, I.
I let my younger self success inlife is not linear because some
of the biggest, absolutely.
The biggest learning and lessonsyou're gonna get are from
mistakes.
You don't sit and go, dang, howdid I win this case?
(36:37):
Oh, I must have kicked buttwinning this case or winning
this argument.
No.
It's when you have to take thatL and you're like, no, how do I
become better?
I don't wanna lose again, andI'm that kind of person I'll
like, I wanna be better.
Stephanie (36:54):
Right.
I was working on a vision boardand one of the things that I
wrote down is I wanna build anew habit of seeing mistakes as
learning opportunities.
And, you know, it's, it'ssomething I've sort of done in
the past, but like when you'rein it, a mistake is a mistake.
(37:16):
And I find myself being hard.
On myself, but at the end of theday, it is an opportunity to
learn and build from it.
Um, so I love that.
Christine (37:29):
You brought that up and, it just reminded me of one
of the cases I worked on and Ihad took over the case from
another associate.
And when I say that lawyer hitme with no mercy back and back,
it was, I internalized it aslike, I must have did something
(37:52):
wrong, but I took it as, nah, Iwas gonna call myself something
else just now.
But nah, you got a game plan.
You have to focus.
You have to use it.
And it worked out perfectly formy client in the end.
And one of the things with likelearning from that mistake,
(38:13):
girl, when I say I had anotherclient and I was like, oh, well
I done learned the game plan,and was able to hit a motion
out, very similar strategictactic because I was like, I
just seen this in motion and Iwas able to learn from that
mistake and actually implementit as a strategy for another
client.
I love it.
(38:33):
I mean it's, it's a.
It's not easy, but I will sayover the years learning to be
more receptive to feedback, I,that's been just a big part in
my legal journey.
Um, cause I'm, I think it's justthe competitive nature.
(38:56):
It's like, okay, bet.
Like okay, let's go.
So do I like negative criticism?
Baseless criticism?
Unsubstantiated criticism?
No, not at all.
And I think it should be adistinguishment from that cuz
you, but at the firm, we're allon the same team.
(39:19):
On the board of Ed for the mostpart, we're all on the same
team.
And so a criticism that's goingto help.
Be a better advocate or a betterattorney.
Uh, I'm going to, I'm going totake it, internalize it and use
it.
Um, but I just also wanna likedistinguish like there are some
(39:39):
people that make comments thatare just straight up from hate
and are baseless and, uh, you,you are with time to your, how
you're going to grow.
and, and take stuff in and to acertain extent, um, know that
Stephanie (39:59):
Yeah.
Setting boundaries and filters.
Christine (40:01):
Exactly.
Yep.
Stephanie (40:04):
And then as we wrap it up, um, just wanting to hear
from you, what's next on thehorizon for Christine?
Like what all do you want to do?
Christine (40:23):
What's next on the horizon?
I definitely want, I could thinkcareer-wise, I definitely want
more trial experience.
Um, my goal is, and I wasexplaining this, like I wanna
have something seminal.
(40:43):
I wanna argue before the SupremeCourt.
I want to advocate for thatpiece of law that's going to
change lives.
Um, that's what I wanna do as anattorney.
Uh, in terms for the board ofEd, I wanna be that fir if it's
(41:03):
has not been done.
And that's not to offend anyonethat's was on the board before
me, but there is a domino.
and I've been very public and,and this is a situation in
Bridgeport where we've hadstudents in grades with a
hundred percent failure.
I was like, when I'm asking thatno kid or, or that no school has
(41:27):
a hundred percent failure in anygrade and no a hundred percent
failure for me, I think that'slow.
But I was like, if that's goingto be the first domino to get
everything in order.
because I, I know of my limits,and I know Rome wasn't built in
(41:50):
a day, but it was built.
And so setting those standards,because it is not a, oh my God,
standard.
It is almost like what can youdo?
These are babies.
These are, uh, I mean,especially for the non-high
school students.
and, and the particular exampleI'm bringing up is with a local,
(42:15):
um, school very close to mewhere my daughter could have
went to school, right?
So there is a personal aspect tothis, that these are my
neighbor's children, and so Iwant to look out for my
neighbors.
So when I'm setting a goal forthe board is that we implement
support.
We need to identify what's goingon with the teachers.
(42:37):
So that they're getting thesupport to support our students
and, and all around thecomplexities towards student
achievement.
I wanna be that first domino.
I wanna know that the policythat we worked on and reworking
to make the board a strongerboard going forward will
actually have, uh, a return inour time and investment because
(43:01):
it is an unpaid position, um,that I see more students
success.
Uh, you know, I, that's, that'sreally all I wanna see.
Stephanie (43:12):
Yeah.
And that's amazing.
Christine (43:14):
And I mean, What's next?
I'm open to the abundantopportunities that come my way.
Um, what's next?
Uh, I did allude to it earlierthat I've been reached out by
different organizations to jointheir boards and, you know, some
(43:35):
self-reflection.
Making sure I can balance,because it's not just about
collecting titles, but actuallyputting in work.
Uh, I am going to accept thoseroles and I'm pretty sure, uh, I
know it is all going to workout.
I'm telling this to my presentform because I know in the, it's
worked out in the past and so,yeah.
(43:59):
Yeah.
Why not
Stephanie (44:02):
Yeah.
Keep going.
I love it.
I love to hear it.
Well, thank you so much,Christine for sharing your time.
Sharing your experience andsharing your wisdom with us.
Christine (44:16):
Oh, thank you guys for having me.
Oh, you're amazing.
So, of course, when I would sayyour amazing Barry Barks, and
you probably, I did hear Barry.
Barry was showing his supporttoo, but you're amazing.
You are inspiring to me and.
(44:39):
This is what I mean by like justuplifting each other because
just presence, and being thereand putting yourself out there,
that's, that's inspirational.
So I love you.
Thank you for having me.
And I'm actually gonna run overto one of my schools now.
Stephanie (44:59):
Yeah.
All right, cool.
Well talk to you later.
Christine (45:03):
Okay.
Love you.
A million.
Stephanie (45:05):
And that's a wrap, so own it and make moves one day.
I wanna share your journey onthis podcast.
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