MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program Celebrates Graduates’ Achievements
Family members, friends and supporters recently gathered at Georgetown Law to celebrate eight graduates of the MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program during a ceremony honoring their hard work, dedication and completion of an intensive program that prepares returning citizens for careers in the legal field.
Speakers included Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah, who delivered the keynote address; Councilmember Robert C. White Jr.; Marc Howard, director of Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative; Joshua Teitelbaum, interim dean of Georgetown Law; Suzanne Tsintolas, faculty director; and Maya Hambrick, program manager. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs, Lamont Carey, and the Mayor’s Office on Community Affairs, Jackie Reyes-Yanes, as well as the D.C. Department of Employment Services’ ShaQuana Carter, also attended to celebrate the graduates’ achievements.
In her keynote address, Deputy Mayor Appiah reflected on the graduates’ accomplishments as both personal and community victories. Quoting the line that is visible on Georgetown’s campus, “Law is but a means, justice is the end,” she reminded the class of the power they now hold to help expand access to justice.
“Thank you for investing in yourselves, for believing in yourselves and for investing in your community,” Appiah said. “We are proud of you. We are rooting for you.”
Paralegal fellow Ramy “Ryan” Zamzam spoke on behalf of his classmates, sharing a message about perseverance. “We received an education that extends beyond academics,” he said. “We didn’t just study torts and contracts — we learned that success is not about never falling, but about getting back up every single time.”
“To the professors who poured their time, wisdom and patience into us — thank you. You saw our potential even when we may have doubted ourselves,” said Zamzam.
Councilmember White, joined by his colleague and MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program alum Jasmine Joyner, encouraged the graduates to continue moving forward. “I stand here as living testimony that you can go forward,” Joyner said. “The sky is not the limit — it’s only the view. Keep pushing forward.”
The ceremony marked another milestone for the MORCA-Georgetown Paralegal Program and its partners at the Mayor’s Office on Returning Citizen Affairs and the D.C. Department of Employment Services. Together, we continue to create opportunities, shift perceptions and support the success of returning citizens across the District.
