1st Draft...Critiques Welcome.
Posted: Sat Oct 05, 2013 11:38 pm
Any advice would be appreciated. I did not know where to start so I just started and ran with it. Thanks in advance!!!
An Unlikely Story
This latest predicament, although bleak, was another opportunity to come out better than any outside observer would normally expect. It was similar to the period of my life before I left Key West to move to Georgia in 1990. I was 18 years old, missing as much school as I knew how to and classified in the 10th grade. The expectation and outlook wasn’t too good for me. At that time, my father, a twice convicted felon, was still incarcerated. My mother was raising me and my brother in her mother’s house. Along with a clinically diagnosed schizophrenic uncle, a verbally abusive alcoholic grandfather, my brother and I managed to keep our sanity as the six of us lived together in the 1200 square foot blue house on County Road on Stock Island. Life was not easy and by all accounts I was a statistic just waiting to be tallied. But when I arrived in Georgia I determined I wanted to learn a skill and graduate high school. I did both. I learned printing and at the age of 20 graduated from Evans High School in Columbia County, Georgia. My perception of life and opportunity was changed from accepting a set of conditions as definitive and final into creating the conditions that set the final definition. That simple high school education and vocational skill carried me for many years and into many careers. It also served as the basis for my thirst for learning to learn. A characteristic which I think will make me an excellent candidate for your law school.
Although I had vowed to live a life as opposite to my father as possible, there I was, a Police Officer in handcuffs, being read my Miranda rights shortly after being summoned back to headquarters from a routine service call for a stray dog in the mighty city of Palmetto Georgia on May 20, 2011. My mind raced to keep pace with the thoughts of what led up to this desperate predicament. When the charges were read, I prayed and asked God for guidance and protection. Not only was I innocent, but this made the third time I faced the same allegations. And while most would buckle and shudder at the thought of such a situation, in my heart I knew this was another instance of an opportunity for me to re-evaluate my life and my goals just like when I left Key West.
After being released on bond, I dove into every book I could find on Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. One might think as a cop I would have already possessed a deep understanding of those topics. However, like most law enforcement officers, I knew just enough to start the processes of the legal system: i.e. make a legal arrest and to gather evidence. By December 2011, I learned that my legal situation was a common occurrence: black, arrested, indicted and not able to afford legal representation. After my first attorney quit for my failure to pay the remaining $6000 of a $10000 retainer in 3 months, I was in a quandary. I had no attorney. However, by February 2012, I had obtained new counsel and although he was 26 and fresh out of law school, he had a rare characteristic that I found to be admirable and not shown to me up until that time: He cared about me and spoke to me like a person.
One afternoon while visiting him, I showed him a law concerning my legal situation and he asked me how I found it. I told him I looked up similar cases to mine in Georgia and I found this statute. He looked up oddly and said if you really enjoy this stuff that much, and like to help other people and can do what I just did, I should to consider a career in the law. I sort of laughed because the legal situation I was in would not let my mind seriously consider such a notion at that moment. On top of that I did not have a college education and couldn't even afford to pay my new attorney any more than a few hundred dollars a month at the time for his services. But I went home and I thought about it. I really liked being able to help people. It’s why I became a police officer. I really like learning about the law and I started thinking, the profession of law provides all of the challenge and rewards I really desire.
Although the reality of my legal situation was immense, I eventually did what I always did when I really wanted to learn how to do something. I researched how to do it: How to Become a Lawyer. I applied the same procedure that I learned on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts. I simply learned the requirements and I started a checklist. By April of 2012, I was taking College Level Examination Program tests towards earning my college degree. 95% of my college education was self-directed learning through testing. What I loved about the self-directed path was that you set your own method of learning the material. I would grab a textbook at a thrift store, review the test overview and relentlessly study the subject matter. There was information everywhere on the topics and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I used the Khan Academy, Sparknotes and any source I could find to gather information.
My legal case had not progressed at all from the initial stage where it begun in 2011, but I focused on my goals. I kept working my checklist and by May of 2013, I had completed 117 semester hours of college credit and the end of my Bachelors degree in Social Sciences was within striking distance. I finished every requirement for my undergraduate degree in July 2013 and the only thing left on my checklist was the biggest challenge of all: to wrap up my legal matter in Clayton County Georgia. On August 5 2013, I was the state’s key witness in the corruption trial involving the sitting county sheriff. The pressure was immense but I testified truthfully concerning everything I knew. On August 26, I was informed by my attorney the District Attorney had dropped all of my charges. This was a complete surprise because there was absolutely no agreement in place prior to my testimony. Two weeks later on September 13, my degree was conferred with honors and on September 28, 2013 when I stepped across that stage, I became the first person in my family to graduate college.
For the past year and a half, all I have thought about was learning about the law and becoming a lawyer. Not for the money, not for any fame, but to help other people who are in situations like I was. If you allow me the opportunity to attend your law school, I will bring a rare perspective and authentic experience to your school to share with other students. In addition, my experiences as a former police officer, high school teacher, community newspaper publisher, and a public information officer for one of Georgia’s largest Sheriff’s Office give me a unique breadth of practical life experience to add interesting real life context to any class. By allowing me admission to your school, you will be enabling me to continue a life of service towards others and completing the final chapter of one inspiring true life unlikely story.
An Unlikely Story
This latest predicament, although bleak, was another opportunity to come out better than any outside observer would normally expect. It was similar to the period of my life before I left Key West to move to Georgia in 1990. I was 18 years old, missing as much school as I knew how to and classified in the 10th grade. The expectation and outlook wasn’t too good for me. At that time, my father, a twice convicted felon, was still incarcerated. My mother was raising me and my brother in her mother’s house. Along with a clinically diagnosed schizophrenic uncle, a verbally abusive alcoholic grandfather, my brother and I managed to keep our sanity as the six of us lived together in the 1200 square foot blue house on County Road on Stock Island. Life was not easy and by all accounts I was a statistic just waiting to be tallied. But when I arrived in Georgia I determined I wanted to learn a skill and graduate high school. I did both. I learned printing and at the age of 20 graduated from Evans High School in Columbia County, Georgia. My perception of life and opportunity was changed from accepting a set of conditions as definitive and final into creating the conditions that set the final definition. That simple high school education and vocational skill carried me for many years and into many careers. It also served as the basis for my thirst for learning to learn. A characteristic which I think will make me an excellent candidate for your law school.
Although I had vowed to live a life as opposite to my father as possible, there I was, a Police Officer in handcuffs, being read my Miranda rights shortly after being summoned back to headquarters from a routine service call for a stray dog in the mighty city of Palmetto Georgia on May 20, 2011. My mind raced to keep pace with the thoughts of what led up to this desperate predicament. When the charges were read, I prayed and asked God for guidance and protection. Not only was I innocent, but this made the third time I faced the same allegations. And while most would buckle and shudder at the thought of such a situation, in my heart I knew this was another instance of an opportunity for me to re-evaluate my life and my goals just like when I left Key West.
After being released on bond, I dove into every book I could find on Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. One might think as a cop I would have already possessed a deep understanding of those topics. However, like most law enforcement officers, I knew just enough to start the processes of the legal system: i.e. make a legal arrest and to gather evidence. By December 2011, I learned that my legal situation was a common occurrence: black, arrested, indicted and not able to afford legal representation. After my first attorney quit for my failure to pay the remaining $6000 of a $10000 retainer in 3 months, I was in a quandary. I had no attorney. However, by February 2012, I had obtained new counsel and although he was 26 and fresh out of law school, he had a rare characteristic that I found to be admirable and not shown to me up until that time: He cared about me and spoke to me like a person.
One afternoon while visiting him, I showed him a law concerning my legal situation and he asked me how I found it. I told him I looked up similar cases to mine in Georgia and I found this statute. He looked up oddly and said if you really enjoy this stuff that much, and like to help other people and can do what I just did, I should to consider a career in the law. I sort of laughed because the legal situation I was in would not let my mind seriously consider such a notion at that moment. On top of that I did not have a college education and couldn't even afford to pay my new attorney any more than a few hundred dollars a month at the time for his services. But I went home and I thought about it. I really liked being able to help people. It’s why I became a police officer. I really like learning about the law and I started thinking, the profession of law provides all of the challenge and rewards I really desire.
Although the reality of my legal situation was immense, I eventually did what I always did when I really wanted to learn how to do something. I researched how to do it: How to Become a Lawyer. I applied the same procedure that I learned on the way to becoming an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts. I simply learned the requirements and I started a checklist. By April of 2012, I was taking College Level Examination Program tests towards earning my college degree. 95% of my college education was self-directed learning through testing. What I loved about the self-directed path was that you set your own method of learning the material. I would grab a textbook at a thrift store, review the test overview and relentlessly study the subject matter. There was information everywhere on the topics and the more I learned, the more I wanted to learn. I used the Khan Academy, Sparknotes and any source I could find to gather information.
My legal case had not progressed at all from the initial stage where it begun in 2011, but I focused on my goals. I kept working my checklist and by May of 2013, I had completed 117 semester hours of college credit and the end of my Bachelors degree in Social Sciences was within striking distance. I finished every requirement for my undergraduate degree in July 2013 and the only thing left on my checklist was the biggest challenge of all: to wrap up my legal matter in Clayton County Georgia. On August 5 2013, I was the state’s key witness in the corruption trial involving the sitting county sheriff. The pressure was immense but I testified truthfully concerning everything I knew. On August 26, I was informed by my attorney the District Attorney had dropped all of my charges. This was a complete surprise because there was absolutely no agreement in place prior to my testimony. Two weeks later on September 13, my degree was conferred with honors and on September 28, 2013 when I stepped across that stage, I became the first person in my family to graduate college.
For the past year and a half, all I have thought about was learning about the law and becoming a lawyer. Not for the money, not for any fame, but to help other people who are in situations like I was. If you allow me the opportunity to attend your law school, I will bring a rare perspective and authentic experience to your school to share with other students. In addition, my experiences as a former police officer, high school teacher, community newspaper publisher, and a public information officer for one of Georgia’s largest Sheriff’s Office give me a unique breadth of practical life experience to add interesting real life context to any class. By allowing me admission to your school, you will be enabling me to continue a life of service towards others and completing the final chapter of one inspiring true life unlikely story.