Kyle Fraser has been in a county jail cell, a Michigan state courtroom, the 50-season cutthroat reality show Survivor, and a TED Talk. For an Edison High student, it might not be the conversation they imagine having on a Monday afternoon. Actually, it seems like a dream. But despite all odds, that dream came true.
On May 18, Fraser virtually met with students to share his journey from facing incarceration to becoming an accomplished criminal defense attorney and reality TV champion. English Honors and AP Literature and Composition teacher Ms. Evan Craig reached out to Fraser on a whim, hoping to secure a meeting with him in the hopes of giving the students more insight into the real world. Surprisingly, he responded and agreed to the meeting, shocking both students and Craig, especially given Fraser’s reputation and esteem. Fraser’s path into law was not a simple route. He openly discussed the adversities he faced in life, law school, and criminal activity as he served brief jail time during his youth due to nonviolent misdemeanors.
“I was wondering what the difficulties were of trying to become a lawyer after being incarcerated,” said Sanaii Parker-Lacks ‘28.
Instead of letting his history define him, Fraser chose to be transparent about his past and the setbacks that occurred on his journey. His perseverance and honesty earned him a second chance after incarceration, with acceptance to the University of Michigan Law School, despite his three previous convictions.
“That was a really scary juncture of my life, because I didn’t know how they would receive me. But again, I was open and honest,” said Fraser. “They decided that I was fit to be a lawyer, and I don’t think that they would regret that decision either.”
Fraser continued explaining his journey as a lawyer, detailing one specific case where he was representing a 14-year-old boy from Michigan, who was falsely accused of larceny and faced at least five years in prison. Navigating the lawyer handbook while taking on this case, Fraser successfully defended the boy and secured his freedom.
Once he achieved his goal of becoming a lawyer, Fraser’s unique background and beliefs gave him a distinct perspective on the legal field, the realities of the current justice system, and the true justice of our nation’s courts. His standpoint was intriguing to the students, who asked questions about his opinions and beliefs.
“Do you believe that the justice system truly brings justice to its victims, or does it fail more often than not?” asked Adithi Suresh ‘28.
Fraser acknowledged that the current legal framework does not always provide the necessary healing and consistency for both victims and defendants.
“From my experience, the criminal justice system is definitely not consistent, often not fair, especially for the minority,” he said. “We want this system to be able to heal people without sending them to jail. There are so many different ways to solve this problem without time behind bars.”
While Fraser remains dedicated to legal reform, he also found that the profession could sometimes feel restrictive. He sought a new adventure to interact with others outside of the courtroom and test his competitive nature.
“How was your time at Survivor, and what was the most challenging thing for you on that show?” said Adrian Zhang ‘28.
Fraser described the experience as a beneficial change in demographics, despite the challenging emotions he felt while competing in the show.
“The hardest thing on Survivor, by far, for me, is voting people off,” said Fraser. “I’m a very extroverted person; I love people. Chrissy Sarnowsky, on my starting tribe in season 48, I loved her. But she was one of the first people that I had to vote off when it came to the merge, and it killed me.”
Despite the lack of food, water, and sleep, voting people off and betraying the trust of the people who were closest to you was still the hardest thing to do on the whole show, he said.
These lessons Fraser learned now apply to his life at home as a new parent. Fraser explained to the students that being a first-time father is no less challenging than any legal problem or Survivor challenge he has ever encountered. But the experiences that he has gone through help him, specifically, by auditing his mind. In his TED Talk, Fraser explained that he regularly audits his mind, a process in which he looks back on past events, holds on to the positives, and lets go of the negatives.
“How would you audit your more recent event of your daughter’s birth, and how did it impact your perspective on raising your daughter?” asked Sai Shantanu Sivakumaran ‘28.
He credited his role as a parent to the empathy and communication skills he developed throughout his career and the way he learned to audit his mind.
“With a kid, you have to know what you’re doing and do everything right,” Fraser said. “Overall, I still have quite the work to do as a father, especially with communication.”
He ended the discussion by encouraging the audience to pursue their interests and goals despite possible obstacles. Having faced struggles throughout his life, Fraser offered valuable advice to the audience on the realities of society.
“When I was younger, I didn’t think that I could do what I wanted to do. And that’s such a scary concept that makes no sense,” he said. “But if I could offer one piece of advice to you to take away from this whole discussion, it’s to go for it. At least go for it, because people your age make the world a better place when you try what it is you want to accomplish.”
