Campbell Law Spotlight: Monica Veno ’21

Despite her long-standing inclination towards social justice, Monica Veno ‘21 initially hesitated to pursue it professionally, fearing burnout. However, through her involvement with Campbell Law School’s Restorative Justice Clinic, she quickly learned that she could turn her passion into a career.

From a young age, Veno knew she wanted to become an attorney and had a clear vision of her path to that goal. She went to Campbell University for her undergraduate degree where she met with her academic advisor before even starting her freshman year and began to expedite her path to law school. This drive led her to complete her undergraduate degree in three years, majoring in history and pre-law with a minor in business administration.

While still an undergraduate, Veno took an introductory criminal law course where Campbell Law Professor Jon Powell ’98 was a guest speaker. Professor Powell discussed the Campbell Law Restorative Justice Clinic, which intrigued Veno. However, she did not think about the clinic again until starting at Campbell Law the next semester.

At just 20 years old, Veno began law school and was initially interested in the classes with administrative and transactional components. However, she quickly realized that these subjects were not for her. Starting her second year of law school feeling lost about her future career, Veno was excited to have the opportunity to take elective courses and enrolled in the Restorative Justice Clinic she had heard about during her undergraduate studies. Despite initially seeming antithetical to her career aspirations of maintaining the safe and comfortable status quo, the work at the Clinic instantly resonated with her.

She graduated in 2021 amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, unsure of what the future held. The pandemic presented particular challenges for restorative justice practices, which tend to thrive in educational settings, community organizations and residential facilities such as jails, prisons and youth centers. During this time, there were rumors of a grant becoming available for a position bringing restorative justice to institutionalized youth, although it had not materialized when she graduated. Unable to find any positions in North Carolina, Veno began looking outside of the state and accepted a teaching position at a community college in Colorado. She delayed this position for a semester to spend more time working with Professor Powell in the Campbell Restorative Justice Clinic.

Fate had other plans for Veno when a local position aligned with her passion for restorative justice opened up. She joined the Dispute Settlement Center as a fundraising associate. Here, Veno found herself immersed in meaningful work that bridged her interests in law and social justice. While passionate about this work, the position was fundraising-focused and did not allow her to fully devote herself to restorative justice practices.

More than two years after graduation, the rumored grant became available to spearhead restorative justice initiatives within youth institutions. Veno immediately applied and secured the position. Now, she serves as a Restorative Justice Specialist for the North Carolina Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, where she creates restorative justice programs for young people in residential facilities across the state. Through this role, Veno now partners directly with the Campbell Law Restorative Justice Clinic to facilitate the next generation of Campbell Law students’ participation in this work.