“I was incredibly shocked to be selected, but proud at the same time,” De Anda said. “TSC has offered me a valuable education and the CCBA Scholarship is a stepping stone that will help me reach my ultimate goal of becoming an attorney.”
As part of the application process, De Anda submitted transcripts, references and told her story in order to be considered for the CCBA Paralegal Scholarship.
“The CCBA Paralegal Scholarship is a great opportunity for our TSC Paralegal Studies students to obtain their educational goals,” TSC Paralegal Studies Instructor Myra J. Navarro said. “The scholarship serves as an incentive for our students to achieve excellence in their studies. It’s also great to see our local professional organization giving back to our students.”
De Anda, a Brownsville native, is one of 12 siblings and will be the second in her family to graduate college when she completes the Paralegal Studies Program at TSC.
A graduate of Lincoln Park High School, De Anda began college in 2001. However, she soon had to postpone her education because she needed to find full-time work to provide for her daughter.
While working at the Roerig, Oliveira & Fisher Law Firm, De Anda was inspired to follow a career path in the legal field. In fall 2014, she decided to go back to school to pursue her associate degree in Paralegal Studies at TSC.
“My daughter was the reason I had to stop going to college so that I could provide and care for her, but she’s also the same reason that I came back,” De Anda explained. “I want to prove to her that it’s never too late to earn a degree.”
Currently a legal secretary at the Law Office of Reynaldo Garza III, De Anda began her third semester in the Paralegal Studies Program at TSC in August, where she put her recent scholarship to work for her.
“All the instructors at TSC are just amazing,” De Anda said. “They have so much knowledge to share and I’ve learned so much from them. I’m applying a lot of what I’ve learned so far at work. In a lot of instances, when an attorney asks me if I can do a specific task, I already know how to do it.”
About Texas Southmost College
Originally established in 1926, Texas Southmost College currently offers the first two years toward a bachelor’s degree, along with career and technical education leading to certificates and associate degrees, college preparatory studies to prepare students for college-level work, workforce training, and continuing education. TSC offers 53 programs of study leading to an associate degree or certificate. TSC became independently operational in the fall of 2013, after engaging in a 20-year contractual arrangement with a public university.