My Story: How I Chose Esq.

My Story: How I chose to become a lawyer.

I didn’t always want to be a lawyer. I had thoughts of becoming two other things: first, a dentist; second, a teacher. Before starting my undergraduate education at UC - Riverside I was interested in dentistry. There was something compelling about creating smiles and working directly with people, though after a quick look at the science-intense programs and testing required to become a dentist, I knew it wasn’t for me. Science has always been more of a hobby for me rather than something I truly understood. Chemical compositions don’t hook my attention like books, thoughts, and arguments do. Also, knowing how dirty a mouth could be definitely precluded me from further pursuing the profession. A dentist? No, thank you.

Then I moved into my dorm and needed to pick a major for my course of study at UCR. I ended up with Philosophy; something I figured would challenge my mind, satisfy my craving for complex, abstract thought, and challenge me to process thousands of words a day. It still amazes me how old-age thinkers (i.e. Socrates, Aristotle, Heidegger and Descartes) could fathom their ideas, and find ways to express it. After a couple years of study, moving towards graduation and feeling a sense of urgency to select a profession, I sat down and gave it some thought. “Ok. I like helping people, I want to make a difference and impact the future, I like interacting with people…” Some of the people that have had the biggest impact on my life have been my teachers and professors from grade school and up to UCR. I was in school for the first 20 years of my life, of course I would have heavy exposure to a variety of teachers and professors. Of course, I was bound to meet certain characters that could inspire me. But I also had some characters that de-motivated me, that weren’t the best educators, and weren’t passionate about teaching the way the heroes were. I could try to contribute to the hero pool of teachers. I wanted to apply my personality to become a teacher. Specifically, I was interested in working with Teach for America to be paired with a struggling community somewhere throughout the nation and to create a positive impact where change was needed the most. I spoke to a representative who explained the application process and who told me that I could also progress my education by obtaining a master’s degree while teaching in a low-income community. The representative told me that pretty much everybody makes it past the first round of applications. Well, I guess I’m not “everybody” because my application was immediately rejected. There are some rejections that shouldn’t stop you from accomplishing what you’ve set out to do, but, for this particular rejection, I felt God personally handed that rejection down to notify me that I wasn’t headed down the path He had intended for me. Back to the drawing board.

“Think deeper. Sure, you like to help people, you want to make a difference, you like interacting with people. Great, who doesn’t? Dentists. *jk* ~They can’t possibly like interacting with people, they like science and placing hands in mouths then asking personal questions while your tongue is in their hand~ *jk*. Think deeper. I remember a career counselor during a High School assembly throw out reflective questions to my unconscious high-school self like What do you see yourself doing each day? How do you see yourself dressing for work? What do your skills look like now and in the future? “A Lawyer”. Yes. A lawyer dresses in a suit each day. They don’t have to, they can wear any clothing on a normal day but you need to wear a suit in court and most business is done in professional clothing. I can’t remember the last time I worked on a million dollar contract and negotiation in my pajamas. I already learned to read a hundred pages of dense material each day while studying Philosophy. I would also continue to learn something new every day: whether new laws, cases, contract provisions, anything. I would interact with people - clients - and show them what it means to receive quality legal and customer service. I would make an impact on their life. The accomplishments would be shared. I could use my skill set for understanding complex issues, researching, crafting arguments, negotiating, drafting contracts for the benefit of my community. It was perfect.

Four years later I completed my law school education, meeting ambitious and like-minded individuals along the way, passed the California BAR exam on my first try (no sweat (yeah right)), and took my oath to practice law in the State of California. In January 2021, my dream came true and I get to live my dream each day by helping clients accomplish their business goals.