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RESERVE — Former East St. John High School valedictorian Jordan Deloch has successfully completed his law school journey at Southern University Law Center. The recent honors graduate is now returning home to St. John the Baptist Parish, where he hopes to apply his legal expertise to become a voice for the voiceless.

Deloch’s dreams of pursuing law trace back to class debates at LaPlace Elementary. While pursuing his undergraduate degree at Xavier University, he laid the foundation for law school with a seven-week judicial internship at St. John’s University in Queens, New York in Summer 2019. However, no one could have predicted the turmoil that would surround Deloch’s final semester of undergrad.

“I graduated from Xavier cum laude. It was a unique experience, and I didn’t have a traditional graduation because COVID happened during my senior year. At the same time, I lost my grandfather. It wasn’t related to COVID, but I thought he still had life to live, and it was a hard time in my life,” Deloch said. “I think that period in time taught us how to persevere through the situation that everyone was experiencing. We didn’t know how we were going to come out of the fog of COVID.”

Deloch stayed on track academically and received the Mother M. Agatha Ryan Award, the second highest honor bestowed upon students at Xavier University.

More hurdles lay just around the corner after Deloch began law school at Southern University. Deloch’s family lost their home to Hurricane Ida. Nearly two years later, they are still trying to rebuild and refurnish their home. Adding to the stress, Deloch’s father suffered a stroke last April and is still journeying down a long road to recovery. One of the first trips he’s taken in more than a year, aside from medical appointments, was watching his son walk across the stage to obtain his Doctor of Jurisprudence this past May.

Deloch will take the Louisiana Bar exam at the end of the month and expects to receive his results in October. In the meantime, he’s focused on making a difference close to home.
“I plan on returning to St. John for a while to make some improvements within the community. Being that I’m older now, I’m able to have an opinion on some different things that I might not have had the voice to speak on in the past,” Deloch said. “I want to be able to advocate for those who don’t have a voice. I know that sounds cliché, but I believe a lot of people in the River Parishes have a lot of lot of unspoken issues that have gone on for generations. I’m interested in working to provide more youth programs in the schools, and maybe participating in the election process by working with candidates in an administrative role. Although I’m young, I feel like I have experience. As a Black man and a Black professional, I have a voice that can benefit a lot of people.”

While in law school, Deloch served as a student attendant for the law clinic and was a member of the Black Caucus cohort. He gained experience as a clerk in the State Capitol during the Louisiana Legislative Session. Outside of school, Deloch became one of the first initiates of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.’s local chapter.

After taking the bar exam, Deloch can see himself working on personal injury or criminal cases.

Above all, he gives all glory to God.

“God really turned a dream into reality. I can walk into this moment because of Him,” Deloch said.