Boston\u27s new District Attorney Rachael Rollins is changing the culture of criminal justice

Rubin, Julia

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Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secrets for Success with RWU School of Law

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Roger Williams UniversityDOCS@RWUFeatured News Story The Week at Roger1-25-2019Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares SixSecrets for Success with RWU School of LawJulia RubinRoger Williams UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_newsPart of the Higher Education Commons, and the Law CommonsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Week at Roger at DOCS@RWU. It has been accepted for inclusion in FeaturedNews Story by an authorized administrator of DOCS@RWU. For more information, please contact mwu@rwu.edu.Recommended CitationRubin, Julia, "Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secrets for Success with RWU School of Law" (2019). FeaturedNews Story. 522.https://docs.rwu.edu/weekatroger_featured_news/5222/13/2019 Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secrets for Success with RWU School of Law | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/boston-district-attorney-rachael-rollins-shares-six-secrets-success-rwu-school-law 1/3 News ArchiveBoston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secretsfor Success with RWU School of LawThis Wednesday a ernoon, Rachael Rollins delivered the Martin Luther King Jr. KeynoteLecture at the Roger Williams School of LawRWU law students with Boston District AttorneyRachael Rollins. Image Credit: Xaviea BrownJanuary 25, 2019 Julia RubinBRISTOL, R.I.  – Boston's new District Attorney Rachael Rollins is changing the culture of criminal justice.She vows to stop criminalization of mental illness, addiction, and poverty. She has literally and  guratively unlockedthe esteemed 7th  oor of the DA’s o ce, opening lines of communication with senior leadership. She is welcomingconversations with those who disagree with her and using her voice to make progress.This Wednesday a ernoon, Rollins, the  rst African-American woman to serve as district attorney in Massachusettsand the  rst female DA in Su olk County, shared her secrets for success as this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. keynotespeaker at the Roger Williams School of Law, in the Honorable Bruce M. Selya Appellate Courtroom.Audience members had the honor of soaking up Rollin’s wisdom, learning not only about her groundbreakingplatform, but also about the lived experience and professional drive that make her uniquely quali ed for this role.“I am the District Attorney of Su olk County,” Rollins told the crowd. “I have ayounger brother that’s currently incarcerated. I bring that lived experience towork with me every single day when I sit down to make decisions.”The understanding and empathy gained from family experience, along with countless professionalaccomplishments  – including serving as a state and federal prosecutor, Chief Legal Counsel for Massachusetts PortAuthority, member of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s Advisory Council on Racial Justice and Equity,and now, Su olk County DA  – make her a true trailblazer for our students.So how did she do it? Read her six secrets for success and live every day like you’re Rachael Rollins.2/13/2019 Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secrets for Success with RWU School of Law | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/boston-district-attorney-rachael-rollins-shares-six-secrets-success-rwu-school-law 2/31. “Be grateful. Every morning when you wake up is a day to be grateful for. I wake up and even if it’s just for  veseconds, I’m like ‘thank you  – I am alive’ and then I determine what my day is going to be like.”2. “I’m good at everything I do, because I only do three things. We need to be very deliberate about what we’redoing.”3. “I say this to everyone, but especially the women in the room. Know your worth. The greatest thing that everhappened to me was I know what I am worth.”4.  “I cannot tell you how many people said to me  – 'there’s never been a woman that’s done this before. There’snever been a visible person of color that’s done this before. There’s no way you can win being DA in Boston.' You’vegot to put all the noise out of your head and just focus on doing the work.”2/13/2019 Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secrets for Success with RWU School of Law | Roger Williams Universityhttps://www.rwu.edu/news/news-archive/boston-district-attorney-rachael-rollins-shares-six-secrets-success-rwu-school-law 3/35. “Always do what’s right, not easy. If it’s right, it doesn’t matter if you’re vili ed. You have to do what’s right,especially if you’re an elected o cial.”6. “Failure happens. Where people are exceptional is how quickly you react a er you fail. Learn from that mistake andthen pick yourself up and start moving onto the next thing.”ACADEMICS ALUMNI LIFE @ RWU SCHOOL OF LAW

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Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins shares Six Secrets for Success with RWU School of Law

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