Family Success
With a full-time job as a paralegal as well as a full load of college courses and two young children at home, Jennifer Lin plans her days down to the minute. She schedules time to make dinner, shuttle her seven-and eight-year-old between soccer and swim practice, help them with their homework and then complete her own school work. Life has become increasingly busy and demanding, as Lin knew it would be when she decided to complete a bachelor's degree program. What keeps Lin motivated, however, is the fact that her family's success is worth it. She knows that her education, which is going to help her advance in her career, will place her family on a path toward a better future. In truth, Lin says, it already has.
That's because she's been able to take what she's been learning in her courses and apply it almost immediately in her work. For example, through her courses - many of which are taught by sitting judges - she's bolstered her ability to draft well-written letters and perform legal research. It has resulted in her employers finding she requires less training, is highly capable, skilled and knowledgeable in her role.
Lin's journey has been far from traditional. After graduating high school in 2004, she tried to earn a post-secondary degree twice but found that the schools she attended weren't a good fit for her and the topics she studied didn't interest her. In 2012, however, she found her interest and passion in the legal field. She started work as a legal secretary, took a liking to the profession and quickly worked her way up to litigation assistant then to paralegal. In 2013, she decided to return to school to help her advance in her field and found a sense of support and community at University College that she didn't find in her previous schools. "Everything felt so easy and comfortable," Lin says.
Eventually, Lin hopes to continue in the legal field and study law - possibly at the RWU School of Law. In December she takes the next step towards her ultimate career and family goals by earning a bachelor's degree in Paralegal Studies and a minor in Criminal Justice.