Friday, November 03, 2006
To Be a Lawyer
AVID Junior Carlo Abcede reports on a visit by guest speaker Kari Hock:
To be a lawyer doesn't happen overnight. Not now, not ever. Mrs. Kari Hock knows this because of her long journey to become a lawyer.
Mrs. Kari Hock wasn't a very outgoing in her early years. We know from movies that lawyers tend to be loud and outgoing, but in her case, she wasn't really any of those when she was growing up. She was quite shy and growing up, and she didn't really have an idea of what she was going to be. She was a good, hardworking student and very persistent. An example of this persistence would be her effort in tennis and how when she wasn't picked to go to tournament one year she just kept practicing and practicing and the next year she was chosen. But her success in tennis is a topic for another discussion.
She ended up going to the University of Washington in Seattle where she pursued a bachelor's degree in political science. She then decided to take up law. So she went to Gonzaga University. She said that Gonzaga was a good place to be and very beautiful, and all that added to why she enjoyed being a lawyer because the setting a good place.
She was at first unsure on whether or not to take up law school, but she made a wise decision in taking it, because she loved it. Her first year of law school was very difficult. It was composed of long hours memorizing, studying, and doing homework. In fact, the first year, she says, is probably the most difficult. At the end of her first year, she took the bar exam in Washington State. If you pass this bar exam then you receive your well-earned license. She indeed passed the bar exam and continued on her journey to becoming a lawyer.
When she was getting into college she needed a letter of recommendation like many other colleges require. In her case, she had her tennis coach write her letter of recommendation. She was an outstanding tennis player who never gave up. An example, as stated before, was the two teams. One team had all ten players while the other team had only seven girls who were able to compete for traveling. Her first year she wasn't picked; however, that same year she practiced and practiced for the next year when she could show off her new skills. The next year, she was good enough to travel, which shows how determined she was in anything she did. That, to me, would make a good letter of recommendation.
Her senior year in college was also a toughie. In that year, she had to take the standardized test called the LSATS. It's like the SAT except this one is for soon-to-be lawyers. This test is really expensive and composed of many parts. This also shows that being a lawyer is no easy task. You put in years of dedication and hours of learning. It's basically extremely hard, but Mrs. Hock was able to overcome this. After she passed her LSATS, she was ready to embark on the rest of her journey to become a lawyer.
After completing law school, she moved to Guam. She chose to move to Guam because of the surroundings. As a kid, her family would take many trips to Hawaii. You can now see why she'd want to move to Guam, because Hawaii and Guam share many characteristics. In Guam, she became a criminal and immigration lawyer. That is a kind of lawyer who specializes in immigrants who come to America and try to stay because of the abuse in their own country. She was successful in her job and helped many immigrants emancipate themselves from their countries.
In Guam, she also met her husband, who is a doctor. Her and her husband then moved to Michigan, where she again took the bar exam and passed. She was given a job as a prosecutor. After her prosecutor stay, she moved to Sicily. When she became pregnant, she worked parttime.
Her list of reasons to become a lawyer is quite interesting. She gives valid points and the reasons why she thinks it is important. The best reason I found was that you should do it because it makes you happy. To me, she looked happy explaining her job to us, and one day I hope to find a job like hers that makes me happy. Her explanation of being a lawyer also a tad bit convinced me to one day become a lawyer.
Mrs. Hock's long journey to become a lawyer was one of her best accomplishments yet. All of those years of practicing and practicing have paid off. The expression "practice makes perfect" is truly present in her scenario.
To be a lawyer doesn't happen overnight. Not now, not ever. Mrs. Kari Hock knows this because of her long journey to become a lawyer.
Mrs. Kari Hock wasn't a very outgoing in her early years. We know from movies that lawyers tend to be loud and outgoing, but in her case, she wasn't really any of those when she was growing up. She was quite shy and growing up, and she didn't really have an idea of what she was going to be. She was a good, hardworking student and very persistent. An example of this persistence would be her effort in tennis and how when she wasn't picked to go to tournament one year she just kept practicing and practicing and the next year she was chosen. But her success in tennis is a topic for another discussion.
She ended up going to the University of Washington in Seattle where she pursued a bachelor's degree in political science. She then decided to take up law. So she went to Gonzaga University. She said that Gonzaga was a good place to be and very beautiful, and all that added to why she enjoyed being a lawyer because the setting a good place.
She was at first unsure on whether or not to take up law school, but she made a wise decision in taking it, because she loved it. Her first year of law school was very difficult. It was composed of long hours memorizing, studying, and doing homework. In fact, the first year, she says, is probably the most difficult. At the end of her first year, she took the bar exam in Washington State. If you pass this bar exam then you receive your well-earned license. She indeed passed the bar exam and continued on her journey to becoming a lawyer.
When she was getting into college she needed a letter of recommendation like many other colleges require. In her case, she had her tennis coach write her letter of recommendation. She was an outstanding tennis player who never gave up. An example, as stated before, was the two teams. One team had all ten players while the other team had only seven girls who were able to compete for traveling. Her first year she wasn't picked; however, that same year she practiced and practiced for the next year when she could show off her new skills. The next year, she was good enough to travel, which shows how determined she was in anything she did. That, to me, would make a good letter of recommendation.
Her senior year in college was also a toughie. In that year, she had to take the standardized test called the LSATS. It's like the SAT except this one is for soon-to-be lawyers. This test is really expensive and composed of many parts. This also shows that being a lawyer is no easy task. You put in years of dedication and hours of learning. It's basically extremely hard, but Mrs. Hock was able to overcome this. After she passed her LSATS, she was ready to embark on the rest of her journey to become a lawyer.
After completing law school, she moved to Guam. She chose to move to Guam because of the surroundings. As a kid, her family would take many trips to Hawaii. You can now see why she'd want to move to Guam, because Hawaii and Guam share many characteristics. In Guam, she became a criminal and immigration lawyer. That is a kind of lawyer who specializes in immigrants who come to America and try to stay because of the abuse in their own country. She was successful in her job and helped many immigrants emancipate themselves from their countries.
In Guam, she also met her husband, who is a doctor. Her and her husband then moved to Michigan, where she again took the bar exam and passed. She was given a job as a prosecutor. After her prosecutor stay, she moved to Sicily. When she became pregnant, she worked parttime.
Her list of reasons to become a lawyer is quite interesting. She gives valid points and the reasons why she thinks it is important. The best reason I found was that you should do it because it makes you happy. To me, she looked happy explaining her job to us, and one day I hope to find a job like hers that makes me happy. Her explanation of being a lawyer also a tad bit convinced me to one day become a lawyer.
Mrs. Hock's long journey to become a lawyer was one of her best accomplishments yet. All of those years of practicing and practicing have paid off. The expression "practice makes perfect" is truly present in her scenario.
