Former Phoenix College Student Becomes Associate Judge

By Whitney Love

A former Phoenix College Tribal Court Advocacy Program student recently assumed the position of Associate Judge of the Yavapai-Apache Nation.

"Students should follow their dreams and never give up in order to be successful," says former Phoenix College student Genevieve Malinda Harlan.

She knows a lot about success going from a student busy with family, work and school responsibilities to Associate Judge of the Yavapai-Apache Nation.

"When I first began at Phoenix College, all I wanted to do was take a few classes," said Harlan. "I was approached by Tribal Court Advocacy Program director and legal instructor Roland Walker to consider the Tribal Court Advocacy program. After Roland approached me and I joined the program, becoming a Judge has been my focus."

Although she was assisting in the family janitorial business, raising three young children, working full-time as a legal secretary and volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, she still managed to enjoy and dedicate time to her studies at Phoenix College. She also enjoyed spending time with other students, especially friends in the Tribal Court Advocacy Program.

"I had a lot of support from my family, Phoenix College instructors Roland Walker and Jonodev Chaudhuri and my employer," she said. "Many people wanted to see me do well and helped me reach my goals."

In her new position, Harlan will be involved with many parts of the judicial process including criminal bench and jury trials and civil matters.

"For my legacy as an Associate Judge, I want to be known as a judge who is honest and fair. I also want to be known as a person who cares and has a personal interest in the Indian community."

The Phoenix College Tribal Advocacy Program is unique in that it is one of the few programs that provides legal training to students who desire to practice as tribal court advocates in the jurisdiction of federally recognized reservations. Phoenix College offers a fully developed tribal court advocacy curriculum leading to a two-year Associate of Applied Science degree as well as two levels of occupational certificates.

Some of the topics covered in the program include: tribal court jurisdiction, federal Indian law, tribal sovereignty, tribal governance, tribal economic development, tribal natural resources law and other significant areas of Indian law that are particularly hard to find.

For more information on the Phoenix College Tribal Court Advocacy Program, please call (602) 285-7675.