Wadesboro native, SPCC alum graduates law school

POLKTON — South Piedmont Community College alumna Diana Xavier is now a law school graduate.

“South Piedmont was the beginning of a big path for me,” said Xavier.

Xavier, a native of Wadesboro, North Carolina, was homeschooled prior to enrolling at South Piedmont in 2015. She received the prestigious Braswell Scholarship and served as a Braswell Ambassador during her time at South Piedmont. All the while, her understanding of the world — and the possibilities for her future — shifted dramatically.

When she began college, Xavier intended to become an interior decorator, but soon, she became interested in law.

“It was an accumulation of moments, one of those things that built over time,” she said.

“Someone mentioned I would be a good lawyer. My brother is a sheriff’s deputy, and he introduced me to some lawyers he knew, which piqued my interest. The more I thought about it, the more I prayed about, the clearer it became that I was going to become a lawyer. I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless.”

After graduating with her Associate in Arts degree from South Piedmont in 2017, she transferred to East Carolina University and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications. While at ECU, she worked as a legal assistant. This past May, she earned her Juris Doctorate from North Carolina Central University.

Xavier now plans to specialize in mediation. She’ll be based in Charlotte, but she plans to take as many cases as possible in her hometown.

“Mediation is basically facilitating a conversation between two parties,” Xavier said. “I enjoy helping the two parties find middle ground and resolve their disputes.”

Though Xavier has since attended two other educational institutions, she still thinks of South Piedmont as “her college.”

“I graduated from South Piedmont with no debt, and I’ve been able to build on my education to do the things I want to do in my career,” she said.

“I love South Piedmont. I highly recommend it.”