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CTE Student Success

Hasshe Linares

Certificate: Paralegal

What made you come to Cerritos College and why?

A good friend of mine once said, “Time is going to pass by regardless, why not do something with it?” This resonated with me and prompted me to go to college and be part of a field that has always interested me—the legal field. At the time, I lived in Downey and my closest campus was Cerritos College. This campus has everything I was looking for and more. I was particularly excited about the American Bar Association (ABA)-approved Paralegal program!

I have always excelled in English and writing, and I knew these strengths of mine would come in handy in the legal field. I also think that becoming a paralegal is a great way to dip my toes into a field that is completely new to me. There is always room for growth and progress; maybe I will come to find out that I want more in the future and will go to law school.

STUDENT ADVICE

The advice I would give to a new student interested in the paralegal program is this: I hope you truly enjoy reading and have a good eye. You’ll need these skills as you’ll be reading lengthy documents when drafting and when reviewing complaints. You’ll need to work efficiently and quickly to catch many of those mistakes.

If reading is not one of your strongest skills, this field might not be the best fit for you. However, that doesn’t imply there aren’t other suitable fields for you. I can confidently say that reading and writing are among the two most important things in this field. You’ll hear the professors repeat it constantly.

Perfect GPS: grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You are going to be an extension of the law firm, and you want to represent them well. You do so by submitting your best writing, and that’s what gets filed in court.

INSIGHT

Cerritos College is like a toolbox; they have many resources and tools for you to utilize to help you. Not to mention the awesome instructors who are constantly offering help. This program and the instructors combined do such a great job at managing your expectations and really giving you an idea of what this field will be like.

I am particularly grateful for the work experience course they offer. It provides an excellent way to gain experience and explore different areas of law until you find the one that resonates with you. Whether you choose to volunteer or seek an unpaid internship in a nonprofit organization or a law firm, this course supports your journey. I was uncertain about which type of law would interest me or which specialized law classes I should take. Thanks to the work experience class, I have found that I am quite fond of employment law.

After completing my work experience class this past summer, my supervising attorney asked me to stay, and she offered to pay me for the additional time. I worked two extra weeks leading up to the fall semester. I was then offered a position at the law firm. The attorney was impressed and wanted me to stay, but I declined in order to continue my education. She was very under- standing and expressed admiration for my dedication to my studies. She encouraged me to reach out to her once I finish school or whenever I have downtime. This feedback truly gave me a sense of achievement—my hardwork and studies are paying off and it’s showing.

Cerritos College

Paralegal

For more information on enrollment, please refer to the current class schedule or consult a counselor.
www.cerritos.edu/business-legal