Kayla joins our staff after spending time as a summer Law Clerk with our organization in 2022. She first learned about LCCR during her first week of law school and knew that “this is where [she] wanted to be.” She received a dual JD/MSW degree from Tulane University in the hopes of pursuing a career advocating for the rights of children.
The Rochester, NY native and Drew University graduate believes LCCR’s advocacy is important because it implements a genuinely holistic approach to serving and defending children and youth who are often underserved and deprived of opportunities and resources.
Youth justice work can be a challenge and test the strongest of advocates. Kayla finds inspiration in God, the insights from her own experiences with the legal system during childhood and most especially, the children and young people she’s been able to work with in New Orleans over the past few years. She previously worked with the Youth Empowerment Project as well as the Michigan State Appellate Defender’s Office. In 2023, she was a student attorney in the Tulane Juvenile Law clinic.
The former competitive fencer and current New Orleans Fencers Club coach is passionate about recreational forms of therapy for children and young people, particularly through sports, and looks to incorporate this interest into her career one day.
Email: kogden@lakidsrights.org
