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Jazmine James is a few months away from fulfilling a lifelong goal.

James, a Collegiate High School Class of 2013, is completing her third year at University of Arkansas-Little Rock Bowen School of Law.

She credits her experience at Cedar Hill ISD with paving her path to eventually become an attorney.

“The teachers had high expectations of me, which made me have high expectations for myself,” James said.

James, 30, began attending CHISD in second grade, in 2002. She went to Bray and Plummer elementary schools, Joe Wilson Intermediate School and Permenter Middle School.

The Collegiate Pathway was just starting, and James’ parents encouraged her to enroll in the program in the summer of 2009.

At first, she was worried about leaving her friends and missing the opportunity to play in the Cedar Hill High School Red Army Band. However, she was able to stay in touch with friends and play clarinet in the Red Army Band.

When James started Collegiate 17 years ago, there were only freshmen and sophomores in the program. She was part of Collegiate’s second-ever graduating class. 

“We had all of the hiccups and speed bumps of being a new program,” James said. “If you wanted to do an extracurricular activity, you had to come up with a plan for what it would look like and convince the teachers who would advise you.”

Jones graduated sixth in her class, earning a diploma and an Associate’s Degree from Dallas College in the same month.

She earned a full academic “Presidential Scholarship” to Philander Smith University, a Historically Black College & University (HBCU) in Little Rock, Arkansas.

James entered college as a junior and completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science by age 19, in 2015.

After college, James moved home to Cedar Hill, working as a manager at the local movie theatre and then becoming a paralegal.

Going to law school was always her goal, and she eventually made the decision to begin law school in 2023.

That meant a return to Little Rock. She had contacts in Arkansas’ capital city and earned two scholarships to law school – one for being an alumni of an HBCU and another for being a first generation law student.

“Law school is as challenging as everyone says it is,” James said. “What I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that it’s not just academically difficult. It was a lifestyle shift.”

James plans to return to the Dallas area, take the Bar Exam in Texas, and practice law in both Texas and Arkansas. 

She would like to focus on Municipal Law, Trust & Estates, and Sports & Entertainment. She is currently working as a law clerk with the Arkansas Municipal League.

“I would like to work for a law firm for a year or two,” James said. “I would eventually like to open my own firm to have control over what kind of cases.”