ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Melissa Diaz

Growing up in Colombia, amid the longest-standing civil war in the Western Hemisphere, Melissa Diaz learned firsthand how injustice, instability, and violence can ravage a nation and devastate a population.

Diaz and her family left Colombia when she was young, settled in Central Florida and became American citizens. Her mother worked multiple jobs such as babysitting and housekeeping, bringing in enough money to raise three children by herself and put Diaz, her sister and her brother through college and graduate school.

As she prepares to commit herself to a life of public service, Diaz gives thanks to God and everyone who supported and encouraged her along the way.

“Ms. Diaz works harder than so many of her classmates because she has always had to work hard for everything,” one of her professors wrote in a letter of recommendation. “She always conveys a sense of deep gratitude toward those around her and the country that has provided her with the opportunity to succeed.” Which is why she has dedicated her legal career to helping protect the safety, freedom, and opportunity she so deeply values.

“My mom worked so hard to provide for me growing up…to give me the opportunity to be anything and everything I wanted,” Diaz said. “Every step I have taken has been to make the most of that opportunity.”

Diaz arrived at Daytona State College in 2013, focused on earning her Associate of Arts degree. In two years she participated in the Student Government Association and founded the Student Ambassador Association, served as President of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society (leading the chapter to five stars – the first time in 14 years), was elected to the DSC Hall of Fame, made the AllFlorida Academic Team, and her thesis “Bringing Value Back to Democracy” won accreditation by the Florida Political Science Association. All while maintaining a 3.940 GPA and working full-time to help her family.

As driven and successful as she is, Diaz credits her failures as the motivation to work harder to achieve her dreams.

“I created my non-profit when I was rejected for an internship I wanted,” Diaz said. Kickstart U2 College, which she launched and later partnered with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, helps students obtain access to higher education and resources for success after admission to college.

She was rejected for nearly 50 scholarships until the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation informed her she would be receiving the largest private scholarship in the country, covering $80,000 for undergraduate studies and $150,000 for law school.

And, after earning her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminology, (magna cum laude) in 2017 from the University of Florida, she was waitlisted to her “dream” law school - Harvard. She was accepted into Vanderbilt University Law School where she had the unparalleled opportunity to study under the world-renowned expert, Professor Michael Newton, who would introduce her to the field that she is now preparing to join.

“During my second semester of law school I took my first course with Professor Michael NewtonHumanitarian Law, also known as the law of war - and on Day One of that class I knew I was going to practice in this field,” Diaz said. “I fell in love with the whole field and body of law - with humanitarian law, national security law and counterterrorism law. Professor Newton was my biggest academic role model and the reason why I am on the specific path I am on.”

Diaz graduated with her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree in May 2022 and worked with the State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, supporting the Bureau’s Counterterrorism Legislative Rapid Response team to develop counterterrorism laws, legislative frameworks, and legal procedures in compliance with internationally established best practices and accepted human rights standards.

“Working in national security law and counterterrorism, I get to be part of what makes America so great,” Diaz said. “I know it’s not perfect here, but here in America we are safe and have the chance to be anything and everything we ever wanted. I did not have that opportunity in Colombia.”

By accepting a job with the US Defense Department set to start later this year, Diaz plans to continue her work in national security and counterterrorism in order to help protect the safety, freedom, and opportunity she so deeply values.

In the meantime, Diaz is working at a military defense law firm where she helps current and retired members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard get the aid and representation they deserve.