Jeffnie Jean Louis

Law ‘22

Jeffnie Louis is determined to help vulnerable women realize their legal rights. Jeffnie grew up in Carrefour with her mother, father, and older sister. Her father sold charcoal at the local market and was a loan officer in the community. When Jeffnie was 14, her father was robbed and lost all the assets from his loan operation; a few days later he suffered a massive heart attack and passed away. It fell to Jeffnie’s mother to make up the financial losses and repay the debt that resulted from the robbery, and the family struggled to make ends meet.

It was just days after her father’s death when a HELP recruitment team visited Jeffnie’s school, and she learned about the HELP scholarship program. She saw it as a sign from her father and felt a wave of hope. She knew she could earn a scholarship to pursue her dreams.

In high school, Jeffnie excelled. When her teacher noticed her talent for English, he asked her to fill in as a substitute teacher when he was absent and within a few years, Jeffnie was teaching all levels of English, ranging from preschool to adult students. She used the income that she earned from teaching to help support her mother and sister.

As she hoped, this hard work and determination led to a HELP scholarship, and Jeffnie is now a fourth-year law student at Quisqueya University. She remembers when her cousin was raped; the case was not pursued because the blame was placed on her innocent cousin, not the perpetrator. Since then, Jeffnie has always wanted to defend the disadvantaged and voiceless. She hasn’t waited until graduation to get involved, she is one of the co-founders of the civil rights project DKD which is already making its mark.

At HELP, Jeffnie most appreciates the nurturing environment. She says, “I never feel criticized or judged; instead I know the HELP staff, students, and alumni will always understand and support me.” Once she completes her degree, Jeffnie hopes to work in criminal law. She aspires to represent victims in sexual assault cases and ultimately join the Haitian Women’s Ministry to address these issues on a societal level.