The failure, the decision, and the belief to enroll in law school was a journey in-and-of itself. A journey I am happy to have taken thus far. Since childhood I have been advocate for fairness, understanding, compromise, and justice. As the youngest of five children keeping peace in our house usually meant me at the middle of negotiations; you might call this early training. However, life has a way of imbedding restrictions on an individual’s beliefs of what he or she can and will achieve. What I saw as a failure in my life would in fact become a confirmation of my limitless capabilities. It would take a leap of faith and the belief of a stranger to realize a long overdue dream.
The sense of failure a person experiences when he or she is laid-off from work for the first time is overwhelming. I felt lost. I had no formal education and obviously, hard work and dedication were no longer of value; or so I thought at the time. I asked myself, “If I could take money out of the equation, what would I do for free?” The legal field was my immediate answer. Unaware at that time, pursuing a Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice would catapult me into law school.
The decision to enroll in law school began with a simple question during my ungraduated program, “Denise have you ever considered going to law school?” The question was posed by Blanche Cook, a United States Assistant Attorney and a professor of mine. Ironically, I had considered law school many years ago dismissing the possibility as a youthful fantasy. I did not belief in my ability nor did I think I was a qualified candidate for law school.
The belief in one’s self is essential. Before I met Blanche Cook law school, for me, was a dream. Falsely believing only individuals who are wealthy, possess very high IQ’s, and attend Ivy League schools qualify for law school. Under those guidelines, I most certainly fell short of qualifying. However, Blanche Cook was adamant I look