Student Profile: Seyon Flowers, EMP Class of 2022

A native of Chicago, Seyon Flowers hopes to leverage her master's in public policy from the Harris Evening Master’s Program (EMP) to enhance her critical thinking in her professional life and solve real-world problems in her community.

Flowers has been practicing law for almost 18 years. She earned her law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in English from Western Illinois University.

"Most of my law career has been spent defending Civil Rights claims against municipal parties," Flowers said. "Early on, I worked for two private law firms, practicing Workers’ Compensation and Civil Rights litigation, and now I'm with a government agency, supervising attorneys and managing outside counsel focused on Workers’ Compensation." Flowers also has worked for a Fortune 100 insurance company where she defended insurance claims, including personal injury, construction law, and general liability claims.

In addition to her legal career, Flowers also serves as an adjunct instructor at Dominican University. There, she has taught multiple undergraduate courses including Law & Economics, Employment Law, Family Law, Civil Rights, Civil Procedure, Uniform Commercial Code, and Diversity in the Workplace. 

Outside of her professional life, Flowers also spends her time volunteering—which, she said, will benefit immensely from her Harris degree. "In my new volunteer role as Regional Community Service Chair for the midwest region of Jack & Jill of America, I work with teen groups and other members to partner with organizations focused on the growth of African American families, leadership development, and philanthropic giving. There is a lot of work to do with Jack & Jill, especially as many communities grapple with the enhanced disparities caused by the pandemic, and the data analytics skills I gain at Harris will hopefully help me find targeted solutions,” said Flowers.

Flowers says her studies in the EMP program will allow her the opportunity to analyze problems and think more critically in both her volunteer capacities and her work as an attorney. “My studies at Harris help me to think outside of the box while finding solutions to real-world problems. Plus, I'm able to apply that thinking almost immediately to both my legal and volunteer work, which is extremely rewarding."

Flowers said the University of Chicago's academic reputation was her main reason for choosing to pursue the EMP. “To study public policy at Harris is an amazing opportunity,” said Flowers. “I have met some outstanding and accomplished people in my cohort, and I thoroughly enjoy collaborating with them as we navigate real-world problems and data analytics.

"Harris’ challenging curriculum confirmed that it was the right choice for me," said Flowers. “It has pushed me to my limits, but I’ve stayed on track. I’m going to feel truly accomplished once I complete this program.”