She was the recipient of an award from the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina on Saturday, but third-year law student Jackie Azis says she is just starting her efforts to promote civil liberties in the community.
Azis, who received a degree in journalism from the University of Florida, was nominated for the award because of her involvement in revitalizing the Carolina Law Chapter of the ACLU.
“I’m definitely very humbled. I never thought for one moment that the ACLU was work,” she said. “It’s what I enjoy and am passionate about.”
Jennifer Rudinger, executive director of the ACLU of North Carolina, said she nominated Azis for the Norman Smith Award because of her dedication to the ACLU’s principles and her ability to exceed expectations.
“The Norman Smith award … (is) only given when we have a volunteer who has gone above and beyond and demonstrated extraordinary commitment to ACLU,” Rudinger said.
She said Azis interned with the national ACLU Capital Punishment Project in Durham last summer, but her leadership spanned beyond the internship.
“It’s wonderful to see people who feel so passionate entering into the legal profession, so I nominated her,” Rudinger said. “As a student volunteer she’s just been so committed and I thought she met the criteria for this particular award.”
Azis’ involvement with the ACLU reached the national level in the summer of 2011.
Working as an intern for the Capital Punishment Project, Azis helped write court case briefs and research and document the lives of individuals facing the death penalty in capital cases.