Meet Desi

Desi’s father immigrated to the U.S from Nigeria in his early twenties. He would eventually go on to graduate from college and join the U.S. Army. While his father was stationed in Panama for Operation Just Cause, he met his Panamanian mother, who was working as a librarian on the U.S. military base. They would go on to get married and move to the U.S. soon after. 

“Born a first-generation American to a Nigerian father and Panamanian mother, I grew up watching them make daily sacrifices to give my brother and I a better life. For this reason, I knew I had to get an education and become the best version of myself I could be”

 “However, it was not until I witnessed the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first African-American President, that I knew that sky was the limit for someone who was, as the 44^th President put it, “a skinny kid with a funny name.” From this moment, on the cusp of my 14^th birthday, I learned the importance of seeing yourself represented in different spaces, and I relentlessly pursued what would eventually become a career in the law.”

Currently, Desi is a member of the Office’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, whose mission is to ensure the actions of the District Attorney’s office, both internal and external, represent the ideals and diversity of the community they serve.

“Through my work on the Committee, as well as my everyday work as a prosecutor, I strive to make a positive difference in the community I grew up in. I also hope that maybe one day, I could become an inspiration for a young person thinking about a career in law, and ultimately see themselves represented through me. “

Project Fighting Chance

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office developed a partnership with Project Fighting Chance. Project Fighting Chance is an afterschool enrichment program focused on boxing techniques and the arts to help develop the whole child through reducing childhood violence, aggression and trauma.

Through the office’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, we volunteer with the program throughout the year. One of the programs that our committee participates in is the Civil Liberties for Boys of Color. This is a four-week program that provides informative, engaging and interactive mentorship. The sessions address civil liberties, due process, legal rights, Youth and the Law, Legal Careers, Role of Law Enforcement, and Encountering Law Enforcement.

Something Just for Girls

·Our office also partners with Project Fighting Chance to provide informative, engaging and interactive mentoring sessions for inner-city and underserved girls from ages 8-17 through the “Something Just for Girls” program. The mentoring sessions revolve around the legal profession as it relates to careers, diversity and inclusion, function and

purpose, opportunities, personal development, education, personal safety, confidence and communications. The mentoring sessions include an opportunity to learn gardening, self-care practices, and boxing workouts.