Thank you speech - Graduation 2012

Today is December 12, 2012, and I am graduating from Valencia College in Orlando, FL with my Associates Degree in Paralegal Studies. Despite already having a Bachelor's degree, I wanted to go back to school, to pursue what I thought, at the time, was "my bliss."  I learned so much along the way and worked so hard. My commute to and from school was an hour both ways, three times a week after work. Now it is done. There are many people to thank that helped me along my way.

First,my family and friends. You all were my support network. No dolphin can swim without their pod, so it was very good to have one that was always there. I was absent for so many things, and had to sacrifice so much time to pursue this degree. I am just glad that no one thought any less of me during my self-loathing stressful moments.


Second, my employer who has always been generous with providing me a flexible work schedule.  Also having the benefit of tuition reimbursement and a strong support network in my office, always encouraging me to do more. My co-workers have been my idea boards and my stress-relief.

Next, my car. Oh Nissan Sentra, you have shuttled me back and forth to school and work, then back again, without fail. We've traveled over 30,000 miles in the past two years. You've been my shelter - providing my a safe place to sleep, to wait, and to study. My kitchen, my closet, and at times, my dumpster. We nearly died a couple of times on I-4, but you never gave up until we got home safe.

My teachers and mentors. I didn't realize what a strong network I had until these past few weeks, with my mid-mid life crisis. I've learned so much and am humbled with the knowledge and guidance bestowed upon me. I have grown in maturity and professionally.

Katie Lewis - We started this crazy journey together, literally driving around East Orlando, because of a Yahoo article that we read. I am glad that we can help each other and motivate each other.

Finally, my classmates. We have been through this together, it was hard. Even going to BU, I was so sheltered from the struggles that real people faced. I've learned a lot from you all and hope that today's class is not the end of some of our friendships.

So, thank you all for your support. I feel like I accomplished a lot. While I do not know where my path will lead next, it is safe to say, that I would never be anywhere or move forward without all of you.

LSAT Notes to Self

Logical Reasoning accounts for 50% of this test. You can finish the section in a timely manner. Be calm and read slowly, actively, critically, and carefully. Find the conclusion if there is one and use it to answer the question. Pace yourself. If it's a long passage and it's tough to get through, skip it and complete shorter ones.

Analytical Reasoning (Logic Games) suck. It is only a game if you like to torture people. With that said, get over it. Start with a good diagram and follow through. No excuses for not making deductions. Read the Stimulus and first rules before diagramming. List questions are easy, do not give away those points.  Be certain during what If questions.  Use the past diagrams as possible outcomes.  Work quickly (time is of the essence).  Do not fret, if it's taking too long, then jump it and move on.

Reading Comprehension.  Make notes. Read carefully, slowly, and understand the whole. Try to find passages that work for you. Find the author's point of view and conclusion early. If there is evidence presented, determine it's role.

Writing Sample.  Do not blow this off, because it may be your saving grace. IRAC. That's what they want to see. Pick a side and defend it, do this by stating and proving why one side is much better than the other. Be the defender/ publicist. Do not spell words wrong.

I think my feelings regarding this test are best summed up by P!nk's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)", as this test is my bad boyfriend. 

I think I've finally had enough, I think I maybe think too much
I think this might be it for us (blow me one last kiss)
You think I'm just too serious, I think you're full of sh-t
My head is spinning so (blow me one last kiss)

Just when I think it can't get worse, I had a sh-t day (no!)
You had a sh-t day (no!), we've had a sh-t day (no!)
I think that life's too short for this, I'll pack my ignorance and bliss
I think I've had enough of this. Blow me one last kiss

37 Full Days Left....Each time get better. Do not settle for mediocre. I must go in 37 days from now knowing that I did everything that I could to prepare. I will cut myself a break maybe once a week because I work full-time and go to school full-time, but other than that it's all about time management.

The LSAT: My bad boyfriend

According to @LSATCountdown I have 50 days left until the test. *Keep Calm and Study On*

In theory, I have intermittently studied for this test since last year. I planned on taking it in June, but failed to register on time before the testing centers in Central Florida filled up. I think this was a secret blessing because there was no way that I could have done well in June.

So, with less than two months left, I woke up and realized that I took the entire summer off from my studies. Now don't get me wrong, the book definitely moved all over my room from my dresser to my bed, to my nightstand, to the floor, to my closet. They make excellent paperweights and roach smashers. Luckily, I woke up to this reality and set myself a lofty goal of one chapter at least a night, which should give me enough time to take practice tests all September.

I've asked my friends and co-workers to openly mock and berate me in order to keep me motivated. (Shout out to Christian Fulton - who's been in my shoes and is great about keeping me going).  I wrote out a syllabus (which I probably should have done months ago). I still got this. There is no doubt in my mind that I will break my pre-test score of 143. I've been training myself at work to sit still for 4 hours at a time. I usually do not eat until I'm about ready to pass out. Towards the end of September I will be waking up at the crack of dawn and get the blood flowing and develop into a physical routine. (The real test starts at 8 AM, and I'm not a morning dolphin).

Turning each page is like finding a new form of torture. 

I get that this test is suppose to rank and weed-out mediocre would-be lawyers, but for real...for real.  I can't imagine more than a handful of concepts that I've encountered truly helping in the law profession. It's just my torture. I think I'm addicted to getting absolutely nothing wrong in practice and then getting half the questions right in a section. The LSAT: my bad boyfriend. I read early on from LSAT Blogspot that you'll start to find logical errors in everyday life. With all these political ads showing every five minutes, I find myself screaming: "Straw Man," "Mistaken Reversal," "Percentage Error," etc. at the TV.  I diagram everything in life. Pro Tip: If you work in customer service, do not try to use LSAT logic on angry customers...does not work.

School starts for me in two weeks. To summarize, I work 40 hours a week, go to school for 8 hours a week,  and will probably start an 8-10 hour a week internship too. I can do this though. I'm a master of time management. Some say the schedule is impossible; I say - we'll see.

My school rules

Now that I've finished my first semester back at school, while working full-time, I have developed some habits and rules that making getting through it the second time a lot easier. Granted, my current school is much less rigorous than BU was, but needless to say, the effort must still be there. I have lofty expectations.

1. Complete all assignments a week in advance. Time flies by when you're working and going to school. If you know when your deadlines are, then you will have ample time to complete them. 
2. Reading is important, but reading the chapter summaries are even more important. Reading takes a long time, you can either read the whole thing and not absorb anything or read parts and get the bigger picture. 
3. Never lose points for spelling and grammar. With technology these days, you almost have to try to not spell something correctly. 
4. Always show up and take notes. It always surprises me how many people do not come to class and then if they do they just sit there. I have the worst memory, and have to write everything down. I rate showing up, higher than reading. 
5. Review your notes within 24-hours of class. I don't do this all the time, but it helps to really sink in the material so you don't have to study as hard for the tests.
6. OMG keep a calendar. As I discussed in "Even dolphins run out of time." I would never end up anywhere, if I didn't know where to go and what to do when I get there. 
7. Always have a pen or two on hand. This is more of a life rule. You never know when someone will call and tell you something you need to remember. 
8. Budget!!! School finances sneak up on you. 
9. Finally, keep your eye on the bigger goal. So many times, I thought, why am I doing this?? It's because I want a better life for myself and I enjoy learning. 

Good luck!

A new goal

I'm starting to become obsessed with writing. Victor has coaxed me into writing in my written journal just my thoughts. I try to post here interesting things that I want preserved for the public in case of tragedy.


About a month or two ago, I found a "five-year one line journal." I regret not buying it because it seems like such a cute and good idea. Obviously, I have a journal now; but I would definitely wants something like this in the future. http://www.amazon.com/Day-5-Year-Journal-Potter-Style/dp/0307719774/ref=pd_sim_b_4. This is just a cool way to interact with writing and keep good memories.

In class today, Attorney Gordon talked about an honor society for Paralegal students with exceptional academic ability. It's called Lambda Epsilon Chi (LEX). Since I'm in such a small program only one or two people per graduating semester get picked. I have set this as my goal to achieve. Nothing will prove to me more that this is what I'm supposed to be doing. I joked from time to time that I will be valedictorian, but I really want to do it and do it right. This is part of my goal of no longer being second best. Well 1.5 years left to prove my stuff.

Commenting on Current Event: Lady Gaga eyes legal action over breast milk ice cream

Check out this article picked up by AFP titled "Lady Gaga eyes legal action over breast milk ice cream".  At first, I could not believe this was a news story, but of course if it's on the Yahoo! homepage, I'm going to read it.

To summarize: Lady Gaga's people sent a cease and desist letter to this ice cream company selling breast milk ice cream called "Baby Gaga." 


As if breast milk ice cream is not weird enough, Lady Gaga seems to think she's associated with the product. This case is playing out in London, but I've been learning about business law for the whole year and am going to analyze this case as if it were abiding by U.S laws. 


Lady Gaga must prove that this company named the ice cream with the intent to sell based off the name. Both the words "baby" and "gaga" are generic terms, so I do not believe she has a case. Now the name bears a strong resemblance to the celebrity's name, but it is not called "Lady Gaga's breast milk ice cream." Does this mean every time that a lady goes gaga for something, Lady Gaga can seek royalties?  If both parties were smart, they should partner together to find a reasonable solution. I would not back down and change the name of the ice cream.

Even dolphins run out of time

“Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.”
-Jim Rohn


At the beginning of the semester, I did a time assessment of how many hours in a week versus how many hours I have committed. There are a total of 168 hours in a week. I think it worked out that 68 hours a week I'm doing stuff, while the rest of the time I'm either eating/sleeping or catching up on personal stuff. 


Today I looked at my calendar and had a panic attack. I'm very organized. I have three calendars: My personal planner which comes with me everywhere. This calendar really need to be bigger, because I write so much stuff. My Google calendar. God forbid anyone every truly stalk me, they will know my exact position in the day based off this calendar. Then there's my desk calendar, which lists monthly due dates. This coming week, I have an abnormal amount of tasks due. It's almost like teachers and supervisors plan these due dates to collide at once.


With the recent opportunities coming up, I have to stay on task and organized. There's only a few hours a day, in which one can work properly before passing out.  And with Criminal Minds marathons on every day of the week. It's multi-task or die trying!

They don't make studying easy

Today I had my first graded test in years. I think I did pretty well. I'm generally not a good test taker, but if I have enough time to prepare I usually do well understanding the material and regurgitating it onto paper. Too bad I didn't realize this technique in college or I probably would have done better. Luckily, I have a second chance to focus more on school. Surprisingly, the busier I am, the more time I allow myself to study.

They don't make it easier as you get older. I noticed I still get easily distracted like a marathon of Criminal Minds, Jurassic Park 3, Facebook games out the wazoo. There are so many distractions, you either have to learn to multi-task well or plan far in advance.

One of my classes has me take this online test. It's pretty interesting to see how you best learn: http://literacyworks.org/mi/assessment/findyourstrengths.html. Try it out! I'm musical, social, and nature.