This January, State Representative Donna Howard passed a resolution recognizing Akins High School's Future Lawyers of America as a leading program in legal education and the first high school legal aid program in the country.

Rep. Howard met with the student organization to explain the process of passing legislation, serving on committees and opportunities at the Capitol.

Rep. Howard told the group that while she was once afraid of pursuing a political position, she had succeeded in spite of her fears. She encouraged the students to be brave and to reach for big goals.

"It was so surreal to have Representative Howard talk about our program in the Capitol in front of all those people," student Owen Cardenas said. "Hearing each of our names called out by her in recognition of our work was an experience we couldn’t replicate in any other organization. We Legal Eagles are very proud of our program and we can see that our hard work is paying off."

Written by Owen Cardenas and the Akins High School Legal Eagles