Makala Furse loves to read, edit and learn from the articles in the Florida Law Review — and she was able to prove her passion and tell 59 of her peers why she should be the next person to lead it.
Furse, who was elected on Sunday, will be the first woman of color to serve as the Florida Law Review’s editor-in-chief since the law school was desegregated in 1958.
The law review, which is published by the UF Levin College of Law, is a student-edited law journal that publishes articles and other scholarly work about legal issues. It was created in 1948, a decade before the law school was desegregated. Law journals are a way for professors and legal scholars to get their work edited and published, and the Florida Law Review is ranked 25th of student-edited law journals in the country by Washington and Lee University School of Law.
Furse is 25 years old and a second-year law student. She has a master’s degree in social work from the University of California, Los Angeles. She said in that line of work, she had a lot of responsibility and thinks the skills she learned will be directly transferable to her position as editor-in-chief.
While she’s excited and knows she’s capable, Furse said she’s also nervous because she’s also the first black woman to hold the title. With so much attention on her, she doesn’t want to let anyone down.
“I’m really humbled to be in this position,” she said. “I’m so excited, and I hope that me being in this position will pave the way for more people of color in leadership positions in law schools.”
Andrea Faverio is a 23-year-old second-year law student who works at the Florida Law Review with Furse.
“If I had to use one word, she’s amazing,” Faverio said. “But she’s so much more than that.”
Faverio said Furse was someone who always volunteered to edit extra articles and had a strong hand in coordinating the review’s recent community service event at Grace Marketplace. She said Furse is more than qualified and thinks she’ll do an amazing job.
To be elected, candidates gave a speech and then were voted on by the rest of the staff. Furse said she focused her speech on wanting to create a collaborative space for everyone to voice an opinion and to increase staff comradery by hosting more social and community service events.
“You can just feel, in the way that she speaks, her passion,” said Rachael Schafer, a 24-year-old second-year law student, who also works at the Florida Law Review. “It’s really incredible how much she wants to contribute to the Review.”
Furse said that she’s thankful for the support of her friends, family and professors, as well as the members of the Florida Law Review and the Black Law Students Association.
“I’ve always wanted to do something like this, and I never thought it would be when I’m 25 years old,” she said.
Contact Kaelyn Cassidy at kcassidy@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @kaelyn_cassidy.
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