Candidate for Director:
Melani G. Tiongson
To the FBANC Community:
I am honored to announce my candidacy for FBANC’s Legal Clinics Director for the 2021-22 year. FBANC has been an integral part of my career development ever since I was a first-year law student. Now as a young attorney, I look forward to giving back to the community that has given me so much over the past five years. To me, I can think of no better way to give my thanks and show my appreciation than by serving on the FBANC board this coming year.
If I am elected as a Legal Clinics Director, I aim to work collaboratively with my Co-Director to continue providing top-notch legal assistance through FBANC’s legal clinics. I believe my background in mental health will be an asset to achieving this goal, as it has equipped me with a myriad of soft skills essential to the task. As a former mental health educator, I have developed the ability to listen actively and empathetically, build rapport, work under pressure, connect individuals with resources specific to their needs, and respect client confidentiality. As a lawyer, I continue to hone these skills by incorporating them into my everyday practice. And, if I am elected, I would undoubtedly utilize these skills to fulfill my duties.
Additionally, I believe my recent training and experience as a volunteer with FBANC-ALC’s virtual EDD assistance clinic gives me insight specifically into what makes FBANC’s clinics unique: volunteers’ commitment to the people they serve, efficiency and effectiveness through excellent training, and long-standing ties to local and grassroots organizations who have a pulse on the community’s needs. As a Legal Clinics Director, I promise to be committed to the individuals I serve, train volunteers to the best of my ability, and maintain ties to the many organizations that FBANC regularly collaborates with. It is my belief that clinics cannot succeed without teamwork, and so I would make it my goal to be in regular conversation with FBANC’s various partners and collaborators. I also hope to expand FBANC’s reach to underserved communities by establishing new relationships with local organizations.
Finally, I would like to once again thank each and every FBANC member who has mentored me and helped me get to where I am today. Without you, I would not have developed the confidence to finish law school, pass the Bar, and become an attorney. I am truly so grateful to FBANC and would be honored to serve as a board member for the coming year. I promise to perform to the best of my ability if I am elected as a Legal Clinics Director and to continue walking on the path of service and accessibility that countless others have paved over the years.
Sincerely,
Melani G. Tiongson