Copyright © 2022 Albuquerque Journal
It’s not often a globetrotter has a law award named after them, but Nicole Bloomfield is not your typical traveler.
Throughout her years of travel, Bloomfield learned that diversity and inclusion were important qualities to have and teach to others. Her emphasis on these qualities led to the creation of the University of Exeter Law Society’s new “Bloomfield Social Impact Award.”
The award is given to students “who are passionate about driving social change within their community and beyond,” an announcement from the University of Exeter Law Society says.
“I never thought that I was super-interesting, just being someone from Albuquerque to be honest,” Bloomfield said. “But going abroad, it was kind of like people really were interested in what I had to say or my background, and people wanted to know about what it was like in the states.”
The 1,000-member Law Society of the English university created the award in March 2022 in recognition of Bloomfield’s contribution to the university as its inclusion and diversity coordinator. She graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Laws degree.
Bloomfield’s freshman year was tough, she says, as she was the only person of color and the only international student attending.
Once Bloomfield joined the African Caribbean Society, the Asian Society and the Black, Indigenous and People of Color Project, she was able to relate more to her peers.
During her tenure at Exeter, she led efforts to make the university more inclusive and collaborative, while representing the school as a student ambassador.
“To join these initiatives with other students of color was really cool,” Bloomfield said. “They usually do not give extra opportunities to students that are typically disadvantaged in the legal field and other areas.”
Bloomfield attended Albuquerque Public Schools and graduated with a 4.25 GPA from Sandia High School.
After graduating high school in New Mexico, Bloomfield took her talents abroad.
“A friend that I had met at boarding school in Scotland was going to pursue a law degree in the U.K., so that kind of changed my whole trajectory,” Bloomfield said. “That was what led me to think about applying to schools in the U.K. rather than just schools in the U.S. (which) I had been originally planning to do.”
With Bloomfield’s help, Exeter Law Society won several national awards in 2022, including best student law society in the United Kingdom and LawCareers.Net’s Best Law Society Overall in the UK in 2022, competing against universities like Cambridge and the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Bloomfield’s advice to young students is to take risks.
“I think it’s really good to be challenged and to be uncomfortable, because that’s kind of how you grow into that kind of best version of yourself,” Bloomfield said. “If you don’t take a risk, then you have no idea what’s gonna happen if you kind of take that risk.”
“The Good News Files” is a collaboration among the Albuquerque Journal, KOAT-TV and News Radio KKOB, with each entity taking turns featuring stories that make you smile.
