Graduate Profiles

Valerie Williams

If you had asked Valerie Williams awhile back if she would consider becoming a paralegal she might have looked you in the eye and said, "What's that?" Back then she worked for Seminole County Schools as an instructional assistant. She enjoyed working at Red Bug Elementary in pre-kindergarten classes for kids with learning challenges and as a media center assistant, but felt that her advancement opportunities without additional education were nonexistent.

Like many Valencia students, Valerie had a high school education but marriage, kids and other obligations pushed any chance of a college education into the background. Although she had a strong desire to advance her education, she struggled with how to earn that education while still making a living. When she learned about Valencia's excellent reputation for working with adult students in circumstances similar to hers, she enrolled part time in January of 1992, working toward an Associate of Science Degree in paralegal studies. 

Once enrolled, Valerie excelled academically and made the most of her opportunities. The paralegal studies program director helped Valerie obtain a part time job with a law firm so that she could resign from her instructional assistant position and go to school full time. Valencia also helped her find internships with other firms as she completed her legal studies. 

She found that the classes offered in the paralegal studies program were "right on target" with the requirements of firms at which she interned and worked. Having sampled a wide range of practice areas, she eventually chose to specialize in probate. After graduation she accepted a position as a probate paralegal, and has been working as such ever since.

While she was a student at Valencia, she learned of a local professional association for paralegals, called the Central Florida Paralegal Association (CFPA). She joined as a student member hoping that meeting other paralegals would open networking and educational opportunities. Upon graduation, Valerie became an active member of CFPA; first serving on its board of directors, then as secretary, and later as president. She was reelected president in September 1998 and served a total of two terms.

Valerie now knows she chose the right educational and career path. She says that "as a teachers assistant with just a high school diploma I had no status. As a paralegal I get to work as a professional in a field that has high demands for professionalism. The classes, experience, and encouragement I received from Valencia prepared me for this."

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