Deanna George

I did the paralegal program to see if I like law, and I love it."

For Deanna George, TCC’s paralegal program was a way to test the waters before deciding to join the legal world.

“I did the paralegal program to see if I like law, and I love it,” said George.

After she completes the program in fall 2020, George plans to stay at TCC to finish the classes she’ll need to transfer to UWT or PLU as a junior. Then she’ll complete a B.A. in History before pursuing her Juris Doctorate degree.

Ready for a career change but unsure of what she wanted to do, George chose to delve into U.S. history, a subject she had previously avoided because of its painful associations for African Americans. She immediately found herself hooked on the history of law.

“I began to realize the importance of the different laws that have shaped this country, and why it matters who the lawmakers are and who the judges are.”

George had originally planned to become a defense attorney. But her interest in policy and legislation was sharpened by an internship she’s currently completing as one of this year’s two student legislative interns for the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Now she’s considering a career as a legislative policy analysist – and may even run for office someday.

“Having been a legislative assistant for these past few weeks I’ve learned a lot about how a bill becomes a law, and how to analyze a bill to find out what its impact is on the citizens, and understanding that not everyone has the best motives for a bill that they propose. A lot of times the general public doesn’t even know what bills are being proposed, and how those bills would impact them.”

George applied for the internship, in part, because it was a paid opportunity. As is the case for most students, finances have factored into her educational decisions. When she started at the college in 2018, she saw a TCC Foundation Scholarships flyer and decided to apply. The two-year partial scholarship she was awarded helped make it possible for her to quit her full-time job and focus on her studies. Her GPA has soared to a 3.9 at TCC, and she expects to be eligible for more scholarships in the future. Even her plan to work as a government policy analyst instead of a defense attorney has a financial component.

“I’d rather work for the government, because they offer student loan forgiveness after you’ve worked for a while.”

The internship can be overwhelming at times. George works in a fast-paced environment where things change quickly, and she may find herself pulled away from a project to get ready to testify on a bill that’s scheduled to come up for discussion the following day. She and the SBCTC’s other legislative intern take turns updating the weekly legislative news blog. But she’s also taking advantage of opportunities she never dreamed would present themselves.

“I never imagined I’d be in a position to shadow a legislator, or that I’d be in a place where I could testify before a senate committee or a legislative hearing. I never saw myself being here.”

For students considering a legal career, George recommends taking history classes and a class or two from the Paralegal program.

“You don’t have to be in the program to take the first couple of classes,” George pointed out. “In the legal classes you get a little snapshot of constitutional law. For someone considering going into law, that’s a perfect place to start.”