Heaven Smith will soon leave South Texas College of Law Houston with a J.D. degree and a commitment to serve in the U.S. Army. She will proudly join the ranks of South Texas graduates who have served in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps of the U.S. Army — or JAG officers.
The American Bar Association notes that new lawyers are becoming JAG officers more frequently, working in all legal matters involving the military. The work mirrors almost every aspect of civilian law, and JAGs are selected for each of the five U.S. military branches: Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force.
Smith is from the small town of Lake, Mississippi. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Southern Mississippi in 2014, and her Master of Social Work at Jackson State University in 2017.
Heavily involved in the Black Law Students Association, Smith served first as the social media chair then as president this past year. She said her most notable accomplishment during her time at STCL Houston was chairing the most successful Black Law Students Association scholarship gala to-date. The event produced $10,000 funding for student scholarships, and Dean Helen Jenkins was honored that night with a lifetime achievement award.
Smith also served as a Langdell Scholar for Professor Shelby Moore’s Torts 1 Class. “It was an honor to be chosen after scoring the highest in the class. Now I get to help teach and review with students. I’m helping reinforce their knowledge,” Smith said. She noted that Professor Moore has been Smith’s own mentor since year one, encouraging her to be a better law student and a better attorney.
Smith’s proudest moment was helping her mentee, Callie, earn an A-plus in the class her first semester. “Callie’s very humble, dedicates herself and is such a hard worker,” Smith said. “Seeing her success made me happy and helped me to know that what I’m doing matters.”
Smith also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board as a voice for the student body. The group takes issues to President and Dean Michael F. Barry then helps troubleshoot and find solutions.
Choosing a path
Smith says she went to a JAG interest meeting and saw Professor Matthew Festa there. “He took me under his wing and answered all of my questions. He was integral to steering my path,” she said.
It had been Smith’s dream since high school to go into the military, but she decided to go to college rather than pursue active duty. Once at STCL Houston, she realized she could combine her law degree with military service and set her sights on becoming an Army JAG.
Both Professor Festa and Professor Daniel Correa were supportive of Smith, and Correa wrote her a letter of recommendation.
While Smith said all her classes were applicable to her future career — as JAGs handle everything from matters of national security to administrative law, fiscal law and contract law —her 2021 summer internship at the Aviation Center of Excellence in Fort Rucker, Ala., provided invaluable exposure to the legal field.
Learning the ropes
“The internship was mind-blowing, to see everything in action,” Smith said. While there, she participated in line-of-duty investigations of airplane and helicopter crashes, as well as administrative separations and punishments. “We negotiated a 150-page contract for light bulbs, if you can believe it. I also was given a special assignment from an attorney to construct an identity theft package to investigate a disputed incident.”
Smith even drafted opine statements about court martials in different stages, from recommendation up until the actual court date. Smith said her experience solidified her desire to become an Army JAG.
While she doesn’t know her assignment yet, Smith will report to Fort Benning for officer training after she gets her Bar results in October. After that, she’ll head to Charlottesville for JAG school in either March or August. She looks forward to serving alongside her husband, who is serving in the Army.
Smith encourages other students who are interested in a career as a JAG to network within the South Texas community.
“I found a great support system of both professors and other students who helped throughout the application process,” she said. “I can’t wait to get started!”
