In 2017, Aaliyah Locke gave birth to her son, Quentin, while pursuing her undergrad degree in PR. As a single mother, Locke dreamed of opportunities beyond her hometown for her and her son, despite the convenience and support that came with being close to family. Inspired by her grandfather who worked in law enforcement as a police officer and correctional officer, Locke decided to carve out her own path in law. She courageously applied to Alabama Law, and upon being admitted and receiving scholarship support, she and Quentin moved to Tuscaloosa—400 miles away from her family support system in order to get a Top 25 Law School education.
In addition to being a full-time law student spending 30 or more hours per week studying or in class, Locke also worked as a legal intern and research assistant part-time to support herself and her son. As Quentin’s sole caregiver, if he was sick or his daycare was closed, Locke would have to miss class or work. But Locke said she quickly found “her village” in a supportive system of faculty, administrators, and fellow students at Alabama Law.
“I’m a student, but also a mom, because life still happens outside of law school, and we have to adapt,” she said. “I wanted to help other parents be able to come to and thrive in law school because life isn’t going to stop for school, so why not make it more accessible?”
Locke walked across the graduation stage on May 8, 2022—Mother’s Day—becoming an associate at Baker Donelson soon after.
“This is the start for me. I’m still figuring out my place in this world and what I can contribute to it, but this is definitely not the climax of my story,” she said. “All I can say is, stay tuned.”
Interested in Offering Financial Support to Alabama Law Students?
To learn about how to establish a scholarship to support Alabama Law students, please contact:
Jason Wear
205-348-8272
Director of Development, School of Law
jwear@law.ua.edu
OR
Caroline Strawbridge
Associate Senior Director of Development, School of Law
205-348-4191
cstrawbridge@law.ua.edu
Or consider making a donation to the Alabama Law Alumni Society, which provides resources for students in the form of scholarships, stipends for internships and externships, and other purposes that are central to our mission of training the very best lawyers for the 21st century.
Visit The 50 | 150 Anniversaries website
View Locke’s full story on the UA website
