My Next Big Education Goal by Damaris

My Next Big Education Goal by Damaris - August 2024 Scholarship Essay

It was the summer of 2021. At the time, I was helping an elderly lady by ensuring her bills were paid and that her funds were allocated to certain accounts correctly. One Sunday night, while having dinner with my husband, we discussed about what it would be like if I went back to college and possibly became a paralegal in the estate planning field. I was so inspired from helping my elderly friend that the next day I enrolled back in my local college for Paralegal Studies in the fall.
Today, I have an Associates of Science in Paralegal Studies with honors, but it is not the end of my career goal. The journey ends when I obtain my Juris Doctorate to become business law attorney. Currently, my next big educational goal is to obtain my Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management with a specialty in Marketing and Sales. I chose this career path for my Bachelor degree because if I acquire my own law firm, I would like to know how I can run my practice properly from a business standpoint, learn how to market to people in the particular field that I would be practicing in, and most importantly because want to continue challenging myself as I am the first person in my family to obtain any type of degree.
One of the things that I have noticed in law firms is that most lawyers do not know how to run or manage a business. While interning as a paralegal in a family law firm, I realized that some lawyers like to spend money without considering how much money they really have in their bank account. Obtaining the Bachelor of Applied Science is critical to me because I want to learn how to avoid the financial mistakes that many attorneys’ make. Having a successful business is not about how fast you can make it to the top but about taking the correct steps at a time, as well as taking every financial decision into consideration. As the ancient Greek writer Aesop once said, “slow and steady wins the race…”
Moreover, obtaining a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management is my next educational goal because I want to learn how to market to my target audience. Whether it be in business law, or any other law field I fall into, knowing who my target audience is and learning how to market to them is crucial to build a sustainable business. Some of the steps I plan to take while in school are attending business law workshops for paralegals, and networking with lawyers to observe how they connect with potential clients.
Lastly, obtaining a Bachelor of Applied Science is my next big scholastic goal since I am the first person in my family to obtain a degree. Obtaining an Associates of Science was a challenge due to a family pattern of quitting when something got hard. Quitting always seemed to be the easier route to take. A few things I did while working towards my associates degree were registering for classes ahead of time to get them out of the way, and not giving myself excuses to withdraw from the classes. I also created my own study habits such as: dedicating certain hours to go throw class material, creating an ambient study atmosphere with white noise to focus while studying, making flash cards with keywords to memorize for tests, and connecting with classmates for help when I did not understand a subject to ensure I passed every course with the best grade possible.
More than just a huge educational ambition, having a Bachelor’s degree is a personal growth goal for me. It is critical that I graduate with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management because it will help me develop business skills, connect with the right client, and it will challenge me to keep working hard and change the trajectory of my family and future children.