2024 Open Door Fellows

The NCBF Open Door Fellowship is a unique, competitive opportunity for first-year North Carolina law students who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion through their activities, background and life experiences, as well as first-year law students who are members of groups that have been historically underrepresented in the legal profession, including first-generation college students and those from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Fellows will benefit from meaningful professional experiences and opportunities to widen their professional networks, to “open doors” and prepare them for the next steps in their legal careers. April Franklin and Darius Alexander have been recognized as 2024 Open Door Fellows.

April Franklin is currently a 1L law student at Elon University. Prior to attending law school, she worked in the healthcare industry and received a dual Master’s degree in Gerontology and Business Administration from UNC Greensboro. April is passionate about advocating for senior adults and educating their caregivers, which motivated her to start a business called Fresh Wave Care LLC and write a book titled The Millennial’s Guide to Caregiving Brand. Through the fellowship, she will spend her summer gaining experience at The Fresh Market under the guidance of attorney Gerald Walden.

Darius Alexander is currently a 1L law student at UNC Chapel Hill. Prior to law school, he attended East Carolina University and majored in Political Science and Philosophy. Originally from Connecticut, Darius has called North Carolina home for almost a decade and seeks to build a career in the Triad. He is a first-generation college graduate who hopes to begin a mentorship program for those in his community after earning his law degree. Through the fellowship, he will spend his summer gaining experience at the law firm Craige Jenkins under the guidance of attorney Rebecca Smitherman.