ABOUT ME
Why does a 60-year-old pursue a Juris Doctorate?
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I get asked that question every time I tell people who I am and what I am doing. The reply always involves sharing my journey and my beliefs about service.
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I grew up as an army brat, so I lived all over the world. I had a failed attempt at higher education in 1982 and somehow found myself in the United Kingdom. I bounced around for a few years doing freelance marketing in Europe's incentives and promotions industry. I finally settled back in the UK and founded the Travel Trust Association Ltd (TTA) in 1993 with a business partner.
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TTA provided a novel method of financial risk management network for the UK travel industry using trust and escrow accounts. I had a rich role involving the intersection of regulation, risk management, acquisitions, and corporate management for nearly years, but in 2008, I sold the company to a venture capital group. I had two primary reasons for doing this: I wanted to return home to the US after 20 years in Europe and spend as much time as possible with my children while they were young, and I wanted to be around them.
I went from being an industry captain to a full-time stay-at-home dad and football coach. I was drawn into coaching because, like business, it is about people. I coached at the youth level, as well as both junior varsity and varsity, at high school. I have been an assistant and a head coach for multiple years. Coaching, teaching, and working with young people is about helping them grow and develop success off the field and is the secret to success.
I quickly realized I was not coaching football but helping build young people for others. It also hit me that many young people make life-altering decisions without understanding the consequences. I committed to getting these student-athletes to go to college, not to play football but to get an education. I have always been very open in sharing my life experiences with my players and students. I believe that young men benefit from understanding the successes and failures of others. More than one student in my circle pointed out that I did not have a college degree and did all right. I had no reply to this admonishment.
I decided then and there that if I were committed to lifelong learning and believed in goal fulfillment, I would need to "walk the talk." So, at 56 years old, I gathered my transcripts from that failed attempt at higher education and enrolled in Valencia College's Paralegal Studies program. In 18 months, I received my Associate in Science for Paralegal Studies and an Associate in Arts for General Studies. I transferred to the University of Central Florida for my Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies. All while working full-time as a remote paralegal for a criminal defense attorney in California.
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My mission has not changed one iota. I want to be of service to others. I understand how to build teams, when to lead, and when to follow. Everything I have gotten in my life, I got because I helped others get what they needed. I want to continue to serve and help others achieve their goals and improve their lives while achieving my goals. Attending Law School is part of the path to being of service. My core ideology of being open to new ideas and skills and loving learning while being willing to share with others.