Scholar of the Week
Dante Allen of John Marshall High School
By Janeal Downs
Dante Allen not only enjoys learning new things, sickness but he likes argumentation, buy an important piece to being a lawyer. “I think my mental process is much different than anyone else’s, 
allowing me to think multiple ways about one topic,” Dante wrote in an essay. The competition that comes with being a lawyer is one reason why the job appeals to him. One of Dante’s main reasons for wanting to be a lawyer is his desire to protect peoples’ rights and provide justice. He refers to instances of police brutality with some officers not facing repercussions, and Dante wants to bring families some type of justice. “These days, so many people fall victim to injustices, and I want to ensure that anyone I represent gets a fair trial, and set a precedent on how legal decisions are made,” Dante stated.
In order to become a lawyer, he plans to continue his education at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. While in high school, Dante has had the chance to meet a lot of great friends and teachers and he feels like he will have the same experience in college. As a pre-law student, two majors Dante may choose are philosophy or journalism. “Journalism, it’s like a way for me to still be aware of social trends and still be active,” Dante said. He hopes this major can also help with note taking, a good skill to have as a lawyer.
Dante currently maintains a 4.0 GPA. He is a member of his school’s National Honor Society and a political awareness club called “Open and Awake.” “We just try to inform students about politics and what’s going on in the world because a lot of people don’t know at my school, so we just try and enlighten them,” Dante said about the political club. He also volunteers by tutoring younger children. Outside of school, some of his favorite things to do are drawing and playing sports, mostly basketball. He uses art as a way to express his creativity and basketball as a fun way to exercise.
Dante named his parents as his biggest influences. “They know how hard it can be for someone to get by nowadays, and they want my life to be as stress free as possible,” Dante said. He wants to be successful and they drive him toward success. After going through their own experiences, his parents made it clear to him about the dangers of not getting a good education from an early age. Dante’s sister was the first person in his family to graduate college. Her college experience and her career, after graduating, have also motivated him to get his degree.
Dante wants the community to know that he is a really hard working person and he not only thinks about himself, but he wants to think about and do a lot for others as well. While he knows in the future he will win some cases and lose others, he said most of his drive in life comes from knowing someone will challenge him, which will mean life as a lawyer will never get boring.
