ABEGAY TAYLOR
Florida International University
J. D. Juris Doctor Candidate 2023
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
Apollo’s Counsel, P.A.- Law Clerk Intern
Singer/Songwriter/Entertainer
Interest: Intellectual Property/Entertainment Law
Westwood High School for Girls: Trelawny, Jamaica
Social Media: Lawyer page: INSTA- @abegay_taylor
Artist page: INSTA & TIKTOK- @soulturemedia
“One good thing about music: when it hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley
You may wonder why I start with this quote, but in my opinion, it perfectly describes Abegay Taylor as a person. I met her two months ago and was immediately swooned by her free-spirited, sublime, amiable, eloquent, and elegant character.
Those who know Abegay well will unhesitantly tell you that she does not limit her abilities. With that, she has taken on the arduous journey of becoming a Lawyer and establishing her musical forte. Her journey has been marked by inexplicable and rewarding experiences from Jamaica to law school in Miami, Florida. Little did she know that her experiences to date would be key indicators of what lay ahead for her.
I had the immense pleasure of talking with her, and my first question was, “who is Abegay Taylor?” She pondered for a second and then responded with a sweet chuckle, “now that’s a tricky question! I don’t remember thinking of that before.”
From our conversation, it was easy to deduce that Abegay has an immense sense of humor and can be further described as diligent, authentic, ebullient, active, and driven. Her warm presence and humble spirit can be felt by everyone she meets. Abegay holds space for everyone around her and is a good listener; as such, she gives the most straightforward advice as needed. She walks with a sense of pride, value, and grace. According to Abe, her modest demeanor is credited to her humble upbringing by her mother and her sister.
Abe typically starts her day with a walk, run, or yoga session. She then grabs a smoothie and heads to class, or the total opposite. After that, Abegay will be in lights, camera, and action mode. She will hit a key on her keyboard and prepare her voice to sing. Music makes her body come alive then her feet join in the festivities. She absolutely loves to dance! She will dance for hours. In her words, “if I pay to attend a party or event, I’m getting my money’s worth, and so if that means being on my feet the whole time, then I will be jamming till the end.”
Law is her passion, but music is her first love. Law+Music lives rent-free in her mind; music gives her repose, calm, and the courage to persevere
“Music brings me peace of mind, bliss, and tranquility”- A.T.
At any moment, whether during a car ride, or a casual outing with friends, Abe can be seen dancing or singing to a song of her own beat. It’s almost as if there is always a rhythm in her head. Grab the microphone, and she would jump into karaoke mode without hesitation. She will literally be the first to blurt a tune across the room. One may ask, Where does this love for music stems from? Well, you certainly don’t have to look too far; Taylor credits her passion for music to her dad, ‘who Abegay refers to as the ‘musical giant.’ Music runs deep in my bloodline; it’s genetic and an unending escapade.
“I started singing at a young age in a church in Jamaica. Singing in front of the congregation helped to develop my voice and my love for public entertainment. As I got older, I decided that music was an area that I wanted to pursue. I want to continue my role as a singer/songwriter/entertainer. I also want to support other artists/musicians from a legal standpoint by protecting their creativity and helping them resolve issues in the music industry as they arise.”
Abegay recorded an E.P. entitled Dear Aiden. This highlighted a period in her life where she reflected on her personal and social relationships. Dear Aiden, the Rhythm and Blues genre is an expression of love she experienced during a difficult time in her life. Navigating life and relationships is never easy, but she has been able to use music as a tool to express her pain through words.
The E.P. contains three songs: Broken Serotonin, Numb, and Forbidden Possibilities, and they can be found on Spotify and Apple Music. See the link: https://linktr.ee/Abegay
So, do you get what I mean? Music is her, and she is music! Is that who Abe is a person? Of course not! She loves to travel, do yoga, go to the gym, dabble in art, cook yummy meals, spend quality time with her family, and be ready to help with any given task.
Abe lives by many mantras, but one in particular, “FOCUS on the GOOD.”
There is a vision board on her wall with all her goals, dreams, and aspirations. Abe enjoys the simple pleasures that life has to offer. This year, she aspires to travel more, spend more time with friends, hone her art skills, and the biggest goals of all graduating and passing the Florida bar for attorneys.
Life in Trelawny, Jamaica, created an aspiration, a dream, and a yearning to become a lawyer to create an avenue for her family out of poverty. She remembers growing up in a small town in Jamaica; she says it was safe and gave her a sense of community. Abegay’s transition began when she migrated to the United States 7 years ago. She had no expectations upon moving to the United States; she was taking a leap of faith based on the hope and reality of pursuing a better life for her family. She vividly remembers moving to the United States and immediately thinking, “I want to go home.”
To her, she was moving from a place of safety, comfort, and familiarity to what felt like an individualistic community. She began to feel lonely and to miss home, friends, family, and the safety of her childhood community. Upon arriving in the United States, there were challenges with assimilating into a completely different culture and making friends. However, Abegay did not let the challenges discourage her. She was focused on one thing: passing her LSATs and getting accepted to Law school.
Abegay began law school at Florida International University in August 2020. Her law journey began: tests, struggles, and challenging moments would manifest in the next three years. She believes undergrad was effortless as she graduated summa cum laude with a GPA of 3.93. However, entering graduate school, she quickly realized that she would be faced with long class sessions, no sleep, and multiple writing assignments. Attaining an education was no longer a piece of cake but an extreme challenge that required significant adjustments to her approach to studying, schedules, and work ethic. She remembers entering law school and quickly realizing that it was a competitive environment, so she had to develop a winning formula:
- Having an excellent support group
- Being intentional about maintaining a professional/personal balance
- Creating schedules and to-do-lists
- Meditation sessions, going to the gym, making workout plans, and using running as a tool to clear the mind.
- Creating intentional and meaningful memories with her family and friends
She loves a challenge, but one class made her work so hard that she had to dissect it one piece at a time. Civil Procedure “took my soul” – in the words of Taylor. She recalls a strict professor and much reading related to rules. Despite this class being challenging, it is her favorite class to date. She mentioned that LSV-1L and LSV-3L were also significantly taxing and required plenty of legal writing. This class kept her on her toes as assignments were always due.
Abegay recalls year 1 of law school being the most devastating and challenging. In Year 1, she faced the ultimate test of maintaining a school/personal life balance. She had to depend heavily on her personal belief- “I can do this; giving up isn’t an option.” By the time she entered year 3, her mindset had shifted slightly, giving her more space to understand that completing all tasks can be impossible. Hence, she had to devise a plan to prioritize assignments and readings without being consumed by school.
As she approaches the end of law school, she lives by Michelle Obama’s quote: “success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” Taylor advises anyone applying to law school to speak with other lawyers or law students, intern at a law practice, or even sit in a law class to learn about choosing Law as a career. She continues to display great stamina as she completes her last year of law school and stands firm with the thought,” it is okay not to know; you will figure it out.”
Having met her, I am confident that she will be an exceptional lawyer in the future.
AWARDS
Negotiation and Mediation Team: Won the championship for the 2021 Negotiation and Mediation Team Intramural competition
Miss FIU Law- Spring 2022
Jamaican-American Bar Association(Scholarship Recipient)
Caribbean Bar Association(Scholarship Recipient)
Jackson-Lewis Scholarship Recipient
Broward College Student Life Academic Achievement
ASSOCIATIONS/INTERNSHIPS
Weiss Serota Helfman Cole & Bierman, P.L.
Office of Marlon A. Hill, Esq., Of Counsel: Law clerk Intern Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida
Judicial Intern for Judge Powell and Judge Fahnestock
Academic tutor for the Black Law Student Association
Jamaican- American Bar Association
Caribbean Bar Association
Black Law Student Association
Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society
The Sports, Entertainment, Fashion, and Art Law Society
Abegay once said, “The CLOSENESS of the relationship between myself and the UNKNOWN is way greater than it used to be. I am more confident with the UNKNOWN! This statement is very relevant to my personal and professional life. I can confidently say that I am used to the UNKNOWN in my personal life. Im excited and fearful of it! Honestly, you’d be a bit crazy if you weren’t a little petrified, but often you are truly in the UNKNOWN, whatever that looks like, and it’s exhilarating. Please don’t rush through it; let yourself flow through the motions. I am giving myself the space to feel everything and then let it go. When law school became unbearable at times, she always reminded herself of this statement. She states, “It was never easy, and it wasn’t a walk in the park. Attending law school is an investment. Be sure this is what you want to do, and then do your part.”
She effortlessly said, “GIVE YOURSELF SOME GRACE.”
