CBE: What is the military story?
I went into the U.S. Air Force when I was 20 years old. I wanted to get out of small town, USA. I signed up and was assigned to Torrejon Air Base, Spain – a military base outside of Madrid. I spent three years in Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
CBE: How did you feel assigned overseas?
Living overseas was amazing! I served during Desert Shield/Desert Storm. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, my daughter was only 4 months old. I was assigned to fleet manage-ment for the Gulf War mission, responsible for the safe and timely transport of the crew and passengers to and from the flight line.
There were many nights that I had my baby girl on the flight line with me greeting troops coming back from Saudi Arabia. Our base had cargo aircraft and fighter jets landing every few minutes, so it was an overwhelming responsibil-ity.
I received the Desert Warrior Commendation and the Air Force Achievement Medal for my dedication to that mission.
CBE: What drove you to become a paralegal?
I worked in the base legal office on the military base while I was in the Air Force and I just loved it! I realized that I was really good at organization and adminis- tration of legal files. I deci-ded to pursue a legal career when I completed my service. I pursued a degree in paralegal studies while stationed at Gila Bend, 75 miles from Phoenix.
I was so determined that nothing was going to stop me! I would change out of my camouflage uniform and combat boots at 4pm on class day and hit the road… what a journey that was. I did that long distance college thing for a year, four days a week. Gradua-tion was very sweet.
CBE: If you could design a receipe for someone's career, what ingredients would you put in it?
1) Education – you must have some education in the profession, formal or informal.
2) Networking – Connect with others in your field, whenever the opportunity arises.
3) Certification – Strive to be the best in whatever you do in life. Certification holds a lot of promise in this field.
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American Hero
3 of the Hardest Lessons It Takes to Be a Successful Paralegal
1) Learning how to be an effective communicator in order to success-fully collaborate with your attorney.
2) Knowledge is key.
Never ever pass up a CLE that is on legal technology. Never stop learning and always keep on top of rule updates and technology changes.
3) Be prepared.
Just like a Boy Scout, a successful paralegal is always prepared for the unexpected.