Event Title
Special Presentation - From Homeless to Lawyer to Advocacy of the Culturally Disempowered
Location
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Ave, Phila. PA 19131
Start Date
31-3-2012 9:00 AM
End Date
31-3-2012 10:30 AM
Description
From Homeless to Lawyer to Advocacy of the Culturally Disempowered Nikki Johnson-Huston, JD/MBA/LL.M in Taxation Assistant City Solicitor City of Philadelphia Law Department
Biographical Sketch: Nikki is an unlikely success story. Born into poverty, she was homeless at age 9, failed out of college by age 18, and by age 30, a law school graduate with a law degree, M.B.A. and LL.M in Taxation all earned at the same time in only 4 years. Nikki is also a successful award-winning young tax attorney and a frequent speaker about how she overcame a life of poverty and homelessness to achieve her dreams. She will share her very personal story of how she got her life back on track, fought through adversity and never gave up on her dreams no matter the odds.
She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Board of Governors and the former Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Women in the Profession Committee. Throughout her professional tenure, Nikki has served as a member of several boards of directors, and started a mentoring program for inner-city students interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession. Nikki has conducted numerous panels about issues related to education and co-moderated an event with Bill Cosby in November 2008 about her experience growing up in poverty. In addition, she has won several awards including the Craig M. Perry Community Service Award given by the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, been named a 2009 “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by the Legal Intelligencer, one of the “10 People under 40 to Watch in 2010” by The Philadelphia Tribune, a 2010 Woman of Distinction by The Philadelphia Business Journal, 2011 Next Generation: Rising Star, and a 2012 Eisenhower Fellow where she will be traveling to India to work with the homeless and children living in poverty. Nikki is also a former host on the Comcast Channel 53 show, “A Life in the Law: Legal Leaders.”
Description of presentation: The homeless rate in the United States currently stands at 11% and over 46 million Americans are under/uninsured. This discussion will explore the journey and life of Nikki Johnson-Huston from homelessness to successful lawyer to advocate. Ms. Huston speaks about her experiences in poverty as a way to empower others to break the cycle of generational poverty and homelessness. She wants to help the disadvantaged to live a better life and to give a voice to the powerless. In doing so, Mr. Huston believes that anyone can be an effective advocate, but that those who provide professional service such as health practitioners have a special duty to be respectful and culturally aware. According to Ms. Huston, “Life is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and that is how change happens.”
Educational Objectives:
- Learn the role advocacy plays in the treatment of culturally-diverse patients/clients
- Gain an understanding of providing total care to a patient/client which includes treating the individual’s family and mental issues
- Understand the challenges in providing services to underinsured, uninsured, and those living in poverty
Target Audience: Doctoral Level Psychologists and Mental Health & Health Professionals
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
CEU: 1.5 Credits
Special Presentation - From Homeless to Lawyer to Advocacy of the Culturally Disempowered
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 4170 City Ave, Phila. PA 19131
From Homeless to Lawyer to Advocacy of the Culturally Disempowered Nikki Johnson-Huston, JD/MBA/LL.M in Taxation Assistant City Solicitor City of Philadelphia Law Department
Biographical Sketch: Nikki is an unlikely success story. Born into poverty, she was homeless at age 9, failed out of college by age 18, and by age 30, a law school graduate with a law degree, M.B.A. and LL.M in Taxation all earned at the same time in only 4 years. Nikki is also a successful award-winning young tax attorney and a frequent speaker about how she overcame a life of poverty and homelessness to achieve her dreams. She will share her very personal story of how she got her life back on track, fought through adversity and never gave up on her dreams no matter the odds.
She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Board of Governors and the former Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Women in the Profession Committee. Throughout her professional tenure, Nikki has served as a member of several boards of directors, and started a mentoring program for inner-city students interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession. Nikki has conducted numerous panels about issues related to education and co-moderated an event with Bill Cosby in November 2008 about her experience growing up in poverty. In addition, she has won several awards including the Craig M. Perry Community Service Award given by the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, been named a 2009 “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by the Legal Intelligencer, one of the “10 People under 40 to Watch in 2010” by The Philadelphia Tribune, a 2010 Woman of Distinction by The Philadelphia Business Journal, 2011 Next Generation: Rising Star, and a 2012 Eisenhower Fellow where she will be traveling to India to work with the homeless and children living in poverty. Nikki is also a former host on the Comcast Channel 53 show, “A Life in the Law: Legal Leaders.”
Description of presentation: The homeless rate in the United States currently stands at 11% and over 46 million Americans are under/uninsured. This discussion will explore the journey and life of Nikki Johnson-Huston from homelessness to successful lawyer to advocate. Ms. Huston speaks about her experiences in poverty as a way to empower others to break the cycle of generational poverty and homelessness. She wants to help the disadvantaged to live a better life and to give a voice to the powerless. In doing so, Mr. Huston believes that anyone can be an effective advocate, but that those who provide professional service such as health practitioners have a special duty to be respectful and culturally aware. According to Ms. Huston, “Life is about ordinary people doing extraordinary things and that is how change happens.”
Educational Objectives:
- Learn the role advocacy plays in the treatment of culturally-diverse patients/clients
- Gain an understanding of providing total care to a patient/client which includes treating the individual’s family and mental issues
- Understand the challenges in providing services to underinsured, uninsured, and those living in poverty
Target Audience: Doctoral Level Psychologists and Mental Health & Health Professionals
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
CEU: 1.5 Credits