A Life Defined by Law, Order and Dedication
For Supervising Administrative Judge for the Kings County Criminal Court and SJNY alumna Keshia Espinal ’95, a career in law was always in the cards. However, what she didn’t know was how far her aspirations and ambition could take her.
As a New York City kid, born and raised, and a first-generation Latina-American, leaving the big city behind didn’t feel like an option for Keshia when it came to choosing a college. She would be looking for a school close to home that fit within the individualized teaching she had become accustomed to attending a small all-girls high school on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The future Judge Espinal didn’t want to become lost among a sea of students, but rather someone who professors and administrators alike would know by name. And thus, she discovered St. Joseph’s University, New York (then — St. Joseph’s College) in Brooklyn.
“I remember going to an open house and liking the small community that it was and still is,” Judge Espinal shared.
Attending St. Joseph’s University, New York
Once enrolled as an English Literature major, she quickly become immersed in SJNY’s close-knit campus atmosphere. She participated in student government among other clubs while also getting to know the University’s staff throughout its many departments. Just like she wanted, Judge Espinal got to know everyone by name and they all knew her, only adding to her college experience.
And all the while, she remained focused on the goal at hand: attending law school and becoming an attorney. It was the same goal she had been holding onto from the moment she first stepped into a defense attorney’s office as a young girl.
“My mom was a paralegal-Spanish interpreter for a defense attorney in Manhattan. For whatever reason, my brother, sister and I were out of school and my mother couldn’t find a babysitter. Her boss told her to bring us to the office and that it was big no big deal. That little bit of kindness from boss to employee changed my life,” Judge Espinal said.
Repeated visits to the office, reading legal transcripts and one faithful trip to court to see the law in action only fueled her determination.
While attending St. Joe’s, Judge Espinal took advantage of being English Literature major. The program’s curriculum not only sharpen her writing to but expanded upon her critical thinking and analysis: key skills required of any burgeoning lawyer.
Making Every Experience Count
As she continued to study and work, Judge Espinal would think back to those key moments from her childhood. From playing pretend law office with her siblings to tagging along with her mother to visit incarcerated clients, every experience would culminate in an achievement she had waited her entire life for.
That said, St. Joseph’s and all that it offered were along for the ride. Judge Espinal highlighted the University’s small classes and dedicated faculty. Her courses taught her to view situations from multiple perspectives and further deepened her interest in reading and thinking outside the box.
That’s not to say it came without challenges. Despite loving her law school experience, Judge Espinal did not get in right away.
“It’s not something I’m ashamed of,” she shared. “I just was not a good standardized test taker.”
Judge Espinal was not deterred, but instead more persistent, eventually receiving the score she wanted and attending a law school that shared the same values as St. Joseph’s.
Throughout her career, she garnered experience on both sides of the legal system. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Judge Espinal worked as a paralegal and Spanish interpreter on the defense side, and after achieving her dream of becoming an attorney, joined the DA’s office as a prosecutor in Queens County.
Through it all, Judge Espinal kept an open mind and carried a strong sense of professionalism and empathy, allowing herself to push the limits of what she believed was possible.
“As a prosecutor, I really took it to heart where it says, ’I don’t represent one individual, I represent the people of the state of New York and that includes the defendant,’” Judge Espinal said.
The Honorable Judge Keshia Espinal
It was that sense of empathy and care that led to her being appointed to the position of judge for the King Country Criminal Court in 2017. Today, the Honorable Judge Keshia Espinal serves the Criminal Court as its Supervising Administrative Judge, the first woman and person of color to hold the position in Kings Country Criminal Court history.
Among her responsibilities Judge Espinal partners with various agencies to provide access to programs and resources within the court system. This recently included the first-ever job and resource fair at the Brooklyn Criminal Courthouse.
Along with everything Judge Espinal has achieved and continues to strive for, she hopes that current SJNY students heed the advice of those who once walked those University halls.
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, keep an open mind and don’t give up. Just because you don’t get something the first time doesn’t mean you’re never going to get it. And I think that’s important,” Judge Espinal concluded.
