BLOG | Jesse Zamora
Post-Grad Life: Patience and Perseverance
July 2, 2019
The job hunt after graduation has not been an easy one and many realizations come to mind once I stepped foot into the true adult world. I have spent all of my life in school and this is the longest I have ever been out of an academic setting. It is unknown territory but I embrace the challenge with determination and fortitude learned from my past. Forbes recently released an article about how millennials should be open to the freelance job market, otherwise known as temporary gigs. I took that advice to heart and opened more possibilities for myself to develop professionally, something not acquired through college classes. My belief is to never think a job is beneath you just as it takes time and patience to follow to one day lead.
The time is almost here for the LSAT preparation course to begin. This time around I chose to be in a classroom setting because I believe it will be the most engaging and it helps to have an instructor for immediate help. Law School Yes We Can provided my cohort with a LSAT preparation course and I am ready to take it on with full faith. As I develop professionally I also evolve on a personal level. I see the bumps on the road to success hit harder in reality than in theory. To overcome the pitfalls, it is necessary for me to summon my entire focus on the task at hand. I cannot wait to be in every class learning every single key there is to good LSAT performance. I admit, the test still gives me butterflies because it is not an easy feat. My hope is to collect, practice, and execute when the time comes again.
Perspective after Graduation
October 18, 2016
College seemed like a distant fantasy when I was a child. I remember how much my parents emphasized the importance of higher education, although I did not have a true grasp on what that meant. Fast-forward into the future. In early May of 2016, I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in political science. I never thought commencement ceremonies were compelling enough to make a person feel something, but standing in the stadium in my cap and gown made me feel a sense of pride. I can look back on my efforts, successes, and failures with gratitude because I now know each moment had a specific purpose that culminated in my moving on to the next step. Since graduation, I am taking time to reflect on those critical moments. To know where you are going, you must remember where you come from.
I began to see that my strongest reasons for going to college had nothing to do with myself. My reasons centered on my parents, my family, and my community. It reminded me of my Daniels Fund scholarship interview where I was asked why I wanted to attend college. I answered, “To show my family and my people that it can be done.” I remember how empowering it felt to say those words, but I also felt the weight of the responsibility I had accepted. My undergraduate years are over but I continue to embrace those words as I march into the future.
The perspective the past has given me also gives me a clearer vision of the future and I learned strategic preparation is key to the next endeavor. Law school is my next great challenge in life that has to be met with more force. That was when LAW SCHOOL…Sí Se Puede (LSSSP) was introduced to me. When I saw that LSSSP facilitated LSAT preparation, admissions decisions and strategies, academic performance, and legal career management, I knew it was the team I needed. The three mentors I have in the program have been extremely helpful in terms of advice, LSAT preparation, professional development, and even emotional support. They have also given me great insight into different studying practices and step-by-step guidance on how to navigate my way to law school. The meetings and communication with my mentors are genuine and relatable. It is not a walk through or crash course, but rather, a real connection based on help, trust, and respect that make my mentors the most invaluable part of the program. LAW SCHOOL Si Se Puede connects me to resources I need to achieve my life’s milestones.
I will be studying for the LSAT, working, shadowing, and taking some time to discover new hobbies. The ultimate goal in any pursuit should be about self-growth. I must feel that each and every responsibility I take will help me become an improved version of myself. Nothing worthwhile is easy and no long-term decision should be made lightly. Law school is a near future goal and LSSSP is my commitment to myself and my community to get there. There is no teacher like experience but it helps to have experienced mentorship. I have a new outlook on the future because of the collective support I have combined with my determination to see it through and it makes for a stronger strategy to reach new heights.
An Eye Opening And Learning Experience
August 14, 2015
Being a Fellow in LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede has been an eye opening and learning experience. I always knew from a young age I wanted to go to law school and my desire did not waver with the passing of the years or the transition from high school to college. As I progressed into my college career, I began to realize how little I actually knew about law school including admissions, classes, norms, and how each person experiences law school differently. LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede provided me with the right tools to gather more knowledge about law school and the legal profession. My three mentors continue to give me great advice about LSAT preparation, decision-making, and what life in law school is like. This is invaluable information to reflect on and apply. What makes LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede an even more unique and enriching environment is opportunity to interact with the other Fellows, my peers. During our sessions at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, my peers demonstrate engagement and enthusiasm in class. Their attitudes radiate commitment to a legal education and make me want to become a better law student and a better professional. It is because of the excellent selection of the students and mentors that I feel LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede is an investment with a high return.
I am grateful to be a Fellow in the LAW SCHOOL … Sí Se Puede program. It facilitates the law school preparation process and its staff and leaders care about you as a student and an individual. The presentations are filled with everything you need to know about law school and more. Branding, communications etiquette, admissions truth-telling, and hearing about presenter’s personal and professional backgrounds are all communicated with the goal of helping you succeed. Just thinking about law school can be intimidating but, with the help of the program and the mentors with whom I am paired, I know I can get there. I feel that a decade later up the road, I will reflect on the privilege I had in being part of such an elite group of students. We will all be practicing law and I am sure that the Fellows in my cohort will be the leaders and mentors of tomorrow.
“Sí, Se Puede” is a phrase born of farmworkers, who, under the leadership of the UFW, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, fought valiantly for equal protection under the law. As a result of the efforts of the UFW, “Sí, Se Puede” has become well known as a call that engenders hope and inspiration in those who face similar battles. We thank the UFW, whom we acknowledge to be the sole and exclusive owner of the Trademark SI SE PUEDE, for granting us a limited license to use“Sí, Se Puede” in connection with our efforts to recruit, in Colorado, students of Hispanic or Latino descent for our law school pipeline program. For more information about the programs offered by the UFW, please see UFW’s webpage (www.ufw.org); UFW Foundation’s webpage (www.ufwfoundation.org); and UFWF’s immigration services webpage (www.sisepuede.org)