trevordayschool

A Conversation with Trevor Trevor: What do you do professionally and how did you get there? Ayesha: I'm presently an Acting Supreme Court Justice sitting in Nassau County Family Court (elected as a family court judge). My caseload includes custody, guardianships, and family offense matters but is primarily composed of juvenile delinquency and PINS (Person In Need of Supervision) matters. So that encompasses proceedings where youths who are alleged to have committed acts which would be deemed violations of the penal law if adjudicated as an adult, or youths who commit acts warranting them being deemed persons in need of supervision. The caseload is daunting but meaningful. I always said I never wanted to do criminal work, but I have a heart for family court and the nature of these proceedings called to me. When I was elected and assumed this role, to say there was a lack of diversity on the family court bench is an understatement. I am the first BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, person of color) woman elected to family court in Nassau County (actually on all of Long Island) and there had been no other BIPOC judge elected to sit on that bench for ten years prior. The justice system must have some level of cultural relevance. While my story and background differ from the youths who come before me, there is something to be said for increasing their confidence in the system when they see a judge who resembles them and gives them a view of what their life could be. Options are what one sees on a day-to-day basis. From my perspective, I see this could be my son, my nephew, my daughter. It helps me to bring humanity to the proceedings because of that identification. But for me having been born into a different family or circumstance I could easily have been a youth in a similar situation to those who come before me. That's what I'm doing now. How I got there is something I'm still trying to figure out! I grew up in the Bronx and I was a public school student. I was accepted into a program called Prep for Prep (Contingent XII) in the 5th grade and was placed at The Day School (as it was called back then). There was one other student (Cheri Morvain) who came from Prep with me that year. I think it was a mutually beneficial relationship: We helped to diversify the school and The Day School (hereafter "TDS") gave us opportunity and access to education and experiences that we would not have received in NYC public schools. We were lending ourselves to the diversity of the TDS community, which I know now was actually leaps and bounds ahead of what I experienced later. I left Trevor in 8th grade. I went to boarding school at St. Paul's and went on to Cornell for undergrad and UPenn for law school. When I graduated from law school, I went to work for Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP. Seemingly, I had everything: a highly coveted position at a prominent law firm; a view of the Statue of Liberty from my office; and I was earning more money than anyone in my family, all at the age of 25. My parents are immigrants, and I fulfilled their American dream; that's why they came to this country. Everyone was so pleased about my success. I was enjoying the training and experience I was gaining but I found myself volunteering for pro bono work to the point where my pro bono hours were starting to match my billable hours. I was attracted to stories and helping people. It's something that I can sink my teeth into, so from there I sought positions to serve in the public interest sector. I didn't have any political aspirations then. But I became politically active when Obama became a candidate for the Democratic presidential nominee. Several friends and I got together and formed a group that began to organize for him. I then became more active at the local level and was elected as the Vice President of my local democratic club. From there, I was afforded the opportunity to run for and become successfully elected as Village Justice in 2013. From there I ran for and was elected in 2016 to sit in Family Court. Trevor: Was running in Nassau County on the Democratic ticket a challenge? Ayesha: Running as a judicial candidate with any party is challenging. The very nature of the position requires you to be apolitical, so it is hard to be so while campaigning and having to respond to voters who ask tough questions and really want you to speak up on issues we are not permitted to. Alumni Profile Ayesha Brantley-Gosine '92 Acting Supreme Court Judge, Nassau County Family Court "I'm still known for my legal writing, and I learned to write at The Day School." TREVOR DAY SCHOOL / 57 I N S I D E T R E VO R T R E VO R T R A N S L AT E S F E AT U R E A R T I C L E S A L U M N I

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