“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.” Iris Elijah, Associate General Counsel at Florida International University, embodies this quote by the late Maya Angelou.  Iris has broken barriers when she was the first African-American attorney for the State University System of Florida, Board of Governors. Outside of her work, Iris has dedicated time to numerous organizations and associations that speak to her willingness to serve her community, including FAWL, Big Bend Cares, and the Second Judicial Circuit’s Professionalism Panel. Iris has the ability to seemingly make the impossible, possible and her passion for teaching the new generation of lawyers coming up to continue to break the mold of what a lawyer “should be”. Her constant efforts to promote and diversify her community have only begun. She is without a doubt, fulfilling her mission in life with passion, compassion, humor and style.