"Do you think she woke up one morning and said: I think I'll go to law school today?"

I have always contemplated law school, but for many years I convinced myself that I was not smart enough to be an attorney. For those who know me really well, you may be shocked by this. I have never been the smartest person in any of my school classes, but I can guarantee that I was one of the hardest workers!

My thoughts of inadequacy reached their peak when I received my first LSAT score (145) in December 2007 and was ultimately rejected at all three (3) schools that I applied for admissions to in 2008...Ga State, Mercer and John Marshall-Atlanta. I shed a few tears, or a lot of tears, and I started studying to re-take the LSAT. I sat for the LSAT again in October 2008 and attained the score of 150.

The application cycle was rather emotional, but it is now over! The following is the result of my application cycle for Fall 2009:
North Carolina Central University: Accepted
Florida Coastal School of Law: Accepted with 7k/year scholarship
Campbell Law School: Accepted into PBAP
Georgia State University: Rejected

I am very pleased with the turn out this year! I am moving to Raleigh in May to start the Performance Based Admission Program at Campbell. I will take two (2) classes for seven (7) weeks and provided that I attain a score of 84 in both courses, I will be admitted into the fall class. It will be an "academic boot camp", but I am ready for the challenge!

It is important to note, that I joined the Marine Corps Officer Candidate Program in college and attended Officer Candidate School in the summer of 2004. I was injured at the end of week two (2), but fought tirelessly to remain in training and complete the course (6 weeks). I finished the course, but the severity of my injury led to my discharge in May 2006. After a year and a half battle with the VA, I was finally rated with a 50% service-connected disability. It was during this time (and I did not realize this until later) that I developed a passion for helping other Veterans. When I finish my degree, my plan is to move to Wilmington, NC (close proximity to Camp Lejeune) and practice in the area of Veterans Law. There are so many programs and benefits out there for our Veterans, but they are not fully informed of their options and they lack to resources to battle with the VA. "A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in This country who no longer understand it." --unknown I want to spend my life advocating for these brave men and women!

At this point, I am no longer stressing about where I am going, but I am stressing about the financial aspects of such an endeavor. With my disability, I will be qualified for the new GI Bill, but worried that the VA will not be able to implement this program on time. I have applied for vocational rehabilitation with the VA and I am really hoping that I can qualify for this!

Sorry that my first blog was so long and boring, but I felt I needed to establish the basics. I will try and make the rest more interesting...and shorter!