Nancy Brooks Found a New Path to Her Passion Through UC Clermont's Paralegal Program

When Nancy Brooks was a high school graduate in Idaho more than 30 years ago, she had her eyes set on an ambitious career goal: to become a lawyer. Her father was a court reporter, and she felt that law school was in her future. But when she started college, reality quickly set in. “My first class was a political science class,” Brooks says. “It was awful. I dropped the class, changed my major, and never thought about it again.”

Since then, Brooks has embarked on a 15-year career in editing, spending seven years working for a nonprofit before branching off into her own freelance business. Her freelance work gave her plenty of time at home with her young son, but when he entered second grade last fall, she once again felt the pull toward law. She decided to pursue a new path as a paralegal, but as a busy working mom, she set her sights on an associate’s degree — an offering not available at the University of Cincinnati’s Main Campus, which offers a bachelor’s degree in the field — although the location would have been geographically convenient for the Clifton resident.

So, Brooks looked outside her neighborhood — and found just what she was searching for at UC Clermont. The college offers both an associate’s degree and a post-baccalaureate certificate in the paralegal field. But Brooks, who is in her first semester this spring, soon found that the college offers more than just her academic program to make it the right choice for her.

“I’ll be honest — I’ve loved every bit of the experience,” Brooks says. “What I like most about UC Clermont is the size. It feels like a small community and is not an intimidating campus. There are only five buildings; you could never get lost. And now I’m really getting to know my classmates. I love the camaraderie we share as we are going through the paralegal program together.”

Brooks says the biggest difference in her college experience this time versus right out of high school is how technology has made the professors and course information more accessible. “Thirty years ago, it was virtually impossible to get in touch with your professors outside of class,” she says. “Now, it's so easy to stay on top of assignments with Blackboard. All you have to do is log on and see what's coming up and what's due, and professors answer questions via email. I love being a student now with all of the online capabilities we have.”

Such conveniences make it easier to balance full-time school, work and motherhood, says Brooks, who plans to graduate in summer 2016. She also finds that she’s enjoying her student experience — and her law courses — much more the second time around. “I’m finding all of my law classes fascinating now,” Brooks says. “It’s working this time. If you’re thinking about returning to school, just do it. It’s a great investment.” 

For more information about the program visit

ucclermont.edu/paralegal

or questions contact Page Beetem at

page.beetem@uc.edu

UC Clermont College is located in the center of Clermont County on 91 beautiful wooded acres in Batavia Township.  The college is an accredited, open-access college offering more than 50 programs, associate degrees and a bachelor degree. UC East, a Clermont County expansion in the former Ford plant in Batavia Township, opened in the fall of 2010. It is home to UC Clermont's Allied Health programs. The college is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. For more information, call 513-732-5200 or visit

www.ucclermont.edu