HONORS
Alumni Connection Mareasa Fortunato Rooks (AB ’07) on
staying engaged
U
pon graduating from the University of Georgia with an Honors interdisciplinary studies degree in rhetoric and law, I took the logical next step: law school. I knew I wanted to practice in Atlanta, and given the experience I had at UGA for my undergraduate degree, the UGA School of Law was an easy choice. After law school, I joined the Atlanta office of the global law firm, Jones Day, where I was an associate in the business and tort litigation and white collar defense groups for nearly eight years. As an associate, I managed multi-milliondollar complex commercial litigation matters; investigated Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other compliance matters on behalf of public companies; served on the Atlanta office’s hiring committee; and maintained an active pro bono practice largely focused on immigration matters. In 2018, I left law practice to pursue my passion for mentoring and teaching students. I joined the Emory University School of Law as an associate director and adjunct professor in the Career Center. While there, I advised law students on career strategy and taught Emory Law’s first-year career development course. In 2019, I joined another global law firm, King & Spalding LLP, to manage the Atlanta office’s non-partner level hiring and to develop and implement firmwide recruiting strategy and policies. Additionally, in my free time, I continue my pro bono immigration practice and will be teaching a course at the Georgia State University College of Law in spring 2021. Now, almost 15 years later, my enthusiasm for and participation in the UGA Honors Program remains. As an alumna, I stay engaged in the Honors Program and participate in Honors activities. Not only is it a great way to give back to the university, it is a great way to pay it forward and help prepare and develop the next generation of Honors alumni. I do this not just because I enjoy it, but also because the Honors Program had an influence in all of my professional experiences. As an Honors student, I developed leadership skills, learned about different career opportunities, and engaged with some of the brightest and most interesting people I know. A crucial part of these experiences was the Honors alumni I encountered. For example, both my Honors in Washington internship host and a panelist at Super Friday (an Honors career-development event) were the people who inspired me to attend law school, and an Honors Advisory Board member later offered me my first law firm summer internship. These alumni and others were instrumental in my career path to law school and beyond.
As an undergraduate at UGA, Mareasa: • Was president of the Honors Program Student Council and was also a peer advisor, Honors civic leader, and Honors ambassador. • Was one of UGA’s four nominees for the Truman Scholarship. • Participated in the Honors in Washington internship program as a sophomore, where she interned for Rep. Jack Kingston.
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UGA HONORS PROGRAM MAGAZINE SPRING 2020
• Taught Spanish to Sub-Saharan African immigrants while studying through the UGA en España Valencia summer program. • Worked in the Main Library as a student worker in the administrative offices. • Volunteered as an instructor for the Catholic Social Services English as a Second Language Program.
