Meet Aiyana
Aiyana Gallant joins the Cape Fear family as a legal assistant. As she leaves her pre-law days at Middle Tennessee State University behind, she enjoys working with the firm’s attorneys in the field to learn the ins and outs of family law. She channels serious Detective Olivia Benson energy when it comes to working for clients.
“I want to be able to be able to work with other people in the same situations that I’ve been in,” the Nashville native says, recalling her family’s personal experience with adoption and the child custody process.
Growing up, Aiyana always envisioned going into law enforcement in the military. Her older sister opted to focus on dental hygiene, but her younger brother aims to follow in her footsteps by stepping into the role of Batman or Spiderman. At eight, he’s not getting any younger while he mulls over this life—and spandex—altering decision. After all, not all superheroes wear capes.
In the fleeting days of high school, while Aiyana’s classmates were planning their celebratory oceanside getaways, Aiyana was filling out paperwork for the Army National Guard. She opted for basic training over the beach, and today, swapping her combat boots for business wear, she’s graduating debt-free—thanks, National Guard!
Burdened with free time during college, Aiyana also picked up waitressing shifts to feed her wallet and her soul. After all, they say customer service is where patience goes to thrive. That patience has kept people alive over the years. These days, she showers her servers with kindness at one of her favorite local mom-and-pop shops, Oceanic.
Aiyana’s husband Matthew, a hardworking marine, was the impetus for moving to Jacksonville. While moving can be stressful, family MMA nights relieve some tension as he and Aiyanna’s five-year-old stepdaughter go head-to-head on the mat. Safety first, of course.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]“It shows a great bonding between both of them, which I love,” Aiyana laughs as she awaits the arrival of a third contender, expected to make his or her appearance in a few months.
Matthew plans to continue his lifestyle as a man in uniform when he is out of the military. In time, he’ll shift from Marine blues to more of a police navy. Aiyana has a strict clothing color policy at home.
Not everyone knows about Aiyana’s piano-playing skills. It’s not something she breaks out at parties, but the occasional country song in the comfort of her home reminds her of her southern roots. Classical pieces give her clout with guests. Because nothing says “serious musician” like pulling out work from 200-year-old European men.
Living so close to the coast has its perks, and family beach trips are more common these days. They take their two huskies, Wakanda and Xena, and their German shepherd, Misfit, to keep things fellow beachgoers on their toes. After all, who needs the gym when you can chase after a small human and two dogs hyped to be near water? Aiyana. That’s who.
Her bottomless well of energy and skillset make her an excellent candidate to survive the proverbial desert island, but she has other things in mind. If Bezos calls looking for the next space tourist, this adventure warrior would only hesitate for a second. In the meantime, Aiyana will be trudging towards the bar—not that kind of bar—as she enrolls in law school in the coming days. She wouldn’t say no to a trip to Europe, though.
One of her bucket list goals is to master learning languages. Real languages, not just the language of the law, though that’s clearly on the list, too. She’s a self-described talker, and she’d like for the transition to be seamless when she travels abroad.
Family is also important to Aiyana, and that is why she chose Cape Fear: the people. Like family, they’ll also have to wait until after the Tennessee Vol’s game for non-emergencies. And no, she will not pick up their socks.
Clients looking for Aiyana at the office can identify her by the iced caramel latte in her hand looking for ways to pitch in. And talking. Always talking.
