Faulkner Eagles Helping Montgomery Soar to New Heights by Rebecca Burylo Aigner Kolom, left, and Iesha Brooks
Three Faulkner Eagles are making history and making a difference in the city of Montgomery, a place they hold dear and call home. Faulkner Law student, Iesha Brooks, Faulkner Law graduate Aigner Kolom and Faulkner University alumna Jamyla Philyaw are working side-by-side with Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed as he embarks on his historical role as the city’s first black mayor. Brooks and Kolom were appointed to the Mayor’s Young Professional Council while Philyaw was appointed to serve as the executive assistant to the mayor and is a part of the mayor’s executive cabinet. All three exude enthusiasm for the opportunities they have to make Montgomery not only the City of Dreams, but a city where you can live out those dreams. “The vision really is to make Montgomery a great place to work, to play, to raise a family, to start your business and to retire,” Philyaw said. “We have the opportunity to make Montgomery a city of possibilities.” Brooks and Kolom joined 28 others on the Mayor’s Young Professional Council to help better Montgomery and create a brighter future for their children. “I was excited to learn I was picked and I’m honored and grateful,” Kolom said. “I love Montgomery. This is where I grew up and call my home. This is where my kids go to school and I want it to be a great city.”
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The Mayor’s Young Professional Council is made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds ranging from 18 to 35 years old and who currently live and or work in Montgomery. The goal of the council is to help the Mayor’s office move Montgomery into becoming an innovative community. Members regularly discuss initiatives with the mayor and other young professionals and community members. They share ideas and concerns about issues in the city to help make Montgomery a desirable place to live, work and visit. Kolom graduated Faulkner Law summa cum laude in 2015 and has worked at the Beasley Allen Law Firm for five years as an attorney in the Mass Torts Section.
While at Faulkner Law, she was senior editor of Jones Law Review; a senior member of the Board of Advocates; a Dean fellow and pupil for Hugh Maddox Inn of Court. She served as president of the Women’s Legal Society, participated in the Pro Se Assistance Program for Federal Court, was a Public Interest Society fellow, and was a board member of the Alabama Pro Bono Task Force. “I loved Faulkner Law,” Kolom said. “I was living in Texas and was thinking of relocating back home. I’m a Booker T. Washington Magnet (BTW) graduate. Faulkner Law offered me a scholarship, so it was a great fit for me. I liked the atmosphere and it was located close to my family.” As a member of the Mayor’s Young Professional Council, she’ll be able to help build up her hometown. “The main thing is the education system, which is underfunded here in Montgomery,” Kolom said. “The education of our children is so important and that’s why it’s important to pour our resources into them. That and the tourism dollars are important to build up downtown. We have so much history here to preserve.” Like Kolom, Brooks was also born and raised in Montgomery and graduated from BTW. She became interested in law as an intern with Judge Tracy McCooey in circuit court.
