Count your Successes in Mission College Paralegal Studies Program

Preamble:

We ask our paralegal/legal studies students  to "Count Your Success" and let us know what new things they have learned, and also what successes they have had with their paralegal studies and their long term dreams and goals.

Fall 2006

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My Success Story

How my law firm life began...I was recruited from an optical manager position to a law firm receptionist in a litigation law firm by the managing attorney who just happened to be a patient. It was a tremendous cut in pay but my curiosity was piqued. The position sounded so interesting and I chose to be a part of it …thus my law firm life began! I had no idea as to where it would take me over 5½ years ago. Prior to this, I never gave a legal career a thought, in fact, I thought I was too old to go back to school and make 360 degree changes. I started taking classes at Antelope Valley College such as Business Law and Legal Procedures and found that I really enjoyed what I was studying. By this time, my position had expanded to office assistant and I realized I wanted a position as a paralegal. We, the students, at A. V. College were told that Antelope Valley College had disbanded the Legal Assistant Program and through word of mouth, became aware of the On-Line Paralegal Certificate Program through L.A. Mission College.

In February of 2003, I began taking classes and it has taken me over 3½ yrs to complete the on-line program. All together it has been 5 years of study. After two years with the firm, I became a paralegal assistant and the last 2 years promoted to paralegal. Financially my salary has increased sizably. I have since left the original law firm, they did not want me to leave, however; I wanted new experiences. I just accepted a new position as paralegal in a Family Law firm and my salary will be double the amount as when I started as a receptionist and I will be earning more than when I was an optical manager. I owe this to the On-Line Paralegal Program, the certification means a lot in terms of dollars and cents!

More importantly, I’ve grown and though the classes were challenging, I sharpened my skills. I learned to not react, how to organize my thoughts and to ask questions and how to come at situations from a different perspective. I have gained so much through this accomplishment. I found out I enjoy learning things that are new to me, by the way, the brain only stagnates if we allow it. Oh, I am a grandmother and this is my third career.

To all who may read this and are having difficulties, if I can do this, so can you. One day at a time, it took 5 years for me. Best Regards, A Very Grateful Student -MR

Spring 2006 - "Count Your Success" Stories

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I went back to school after being away for about a year and a half. i will be finishing hopefully this fall and compleating my AA and paralegal certificate. Then I plan to get my BA in crimainal justice at Phoenix online classes. Then I will wait a year and go to law school. My dreams are to work for the FBI. All of this I have and will keep on doing for my daughter so that i can secure a good future for her and be able to pay for her schooling. I have come a long way and I just feel that i have a lot more to do. My goals are to make my dreams come true and raise a very outstanding daughter. I want my daughter to be proud of what i have done. DM

It was with great fear that I signed up for my first paralegal class at Mission College almost two years ago. I had not been in a classroom for 20 years. Although the wisdom that comes with age is a plus, the merging of my real world and its time restrictions with this new endeavor made my heart race at the very thought of homework and "due dates."

12 classes later I am left with a different feeling...pride. I have joined my two teenage daughters is carving out homework time! We "fight" over who has the more urgent need for the computer and I am usually the victor since I am, of course, "mom."

I find that my new understanding of the law pops into everyday interactions. While I was no stranger to the legal arena, the amount of information which now floats freely through my brain surprises me! For instance, my daughter's high school implemented a dress code this year. This code, while very positive in most instances, has become arbitrary with sporadic "amendments" as they become necessary. Yesterday we were informed that boys could no longer wear long NBA style jerseys. These jerseys, we're told, could conceal weapons. Forget the fact that these kids use backpacks and that we live in a crime-free environment and have never had an incident of this sort prior to the dress code. When the school announced that the dress code would extend over to non-school hours at extra-curricular events, including weekends, my first comment to my daughter was that the kids' constitutional rights were being violated and I scurried off to find relevant case citations to "arm" her with the law she might quote at the next student meeting. I felt wonderful and I know that my daughter appreciated and admired what I had done.

To sum it up, I do not exaggerate when I say that this program has been a life-saver for me. There would be no possibility of attending college and attaining my paralegal certificate had it not been for this wonderful online program. Having suffered some physical changes that brought about permanent disabilities which ultimately forced me to leave my much-loved position with the courts that I had for 20 years, I didn't see much hope in the years ahead of me, I now have CONFIDENCE that I can make a contribution to the working world. That being said, the greatest accomplishment is the respect I have received from my family...for a job well done. KT

I have worked as a legal secretary/assistant in law firms for over 35 years. I had always wanted to get my paralegal certificate but since I worked long hours and usually commuted at least an hour each way, the only program that I was familiar with was UCLA which seemed out of the question as far as time was concerned. While searching online, I found Mission which offered the paralegal program with all of the things that I needed to make it work in my life. Online meant I could do it at any hour of the day or night. I could complete assignments early. I found the program challenging but yet a stress relief. After a day at work, I could go home and do my homework and leave my job stress behind. I was absolutely hooked. As I am now taking my last paralegal class, I have decided that I might now try to finally get my AA degree which I have wanted since graduating from high school in 1970. I have four basic education classes to go before I can graduate. I am proud to say that I have managed to maintain a 4.0 grade point average in all of the classes I have taken so far. This past year, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. I had to quit work so that I can take her to chemotherapy and radiation treatments and get blood transfusions. If my courses were not online, I would not have been able to attend classes and had to quit college. My goal is to do freelance paralegal work at home. This program has shown me that miracles and dreams do come true. J.C.

I will be starting my fourth semester with the LAMC paralegal program in 2 weeks. Thus far, I have completed 18 units; which puts me over the half way mark of completing this program. I have learned so much already that I have been able to apply what I have learned thus far to my work in "the real world". As a result of the LAMC paralegal program, each semesters gives me more and more confidence to pursue my career in law. As a result of the great professors, tutors and overall support of the other paralegal students, understanding and passing my classes has been an enjoyable process.

I am currently assisting attorneys with investigations, preparing form interrogatories and request for production of documents and other duties of a full-fledged paralegal. Because of this paralegal program, I'm way ahead of the game and have been told so by attorneys. I'm so happy with this program and recommend it to anyone, any age, any level of law. S.C.

As a single father of a 10year old with 50% custody (including homework, soccer, art class and projects) I was, through the Mission College Online program able to complete all of the necessary classes for the paralegal program. I just completed Law 17 and Law 34 and I am just waiting for the final grade so I can submit for the certificate/degree. Apart from school and my daughter, I have a 40 hr-80 hr work week with no set schedule and I can be assigned to work at all hours of the day and night. This has been a major challenge for me but I put forth the effort for several reasons:1) To show my daughter the importance of school, 2) Be and example of me doing home work and completing the degree, 3) Advancing in my career, 4) Preparing to possibly enroll into Law School.

I can now look back and see that all of those long nights and long readings were well worth it even when I was tired and deprived of sleep. To my fellow students who are just starting, stay with the program, dedicate yourselves and organize yourselves and you will be able to obtain your certificate/degree and then you will be able to look back and enjoy the fruits of your hard work. In the end, I was very pleased to have taken the classes, they were challenging but I was able to learn many things with each of the classes that I took. Thank You and Good Luck to all. C.S.