Tranece Edwards
My experience at CSULB has been a dream come true. It is such a beautiful campus. My Legal Studies minor afforded me the opportunity to take pre-law classes in various disciplines. This allowed me to meet many unique individuals with different talents and interests. I learned something from each one of them. Every experience I encountered at CSULB was a positive one. Each time I set foot on campus, I felt extremely blessed.
My path to CSULB may be a little bit out of the norm. I had two children before I even graduated high school. No one thought it was in the cards for me to attend or graduate college. I discovered the Long Beach Promise, a partnership offered by Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach that provided an accessible pathway to college for Long Beach Unified School District students. I enrolled in LBCC as an Administration of Justice major. I earned my AA degree, completed my general education transfer requirements, and made a smooth transition to CSULB. I was determined to pursue higher education. I understood that it would not be easy, but I vowed to never give up.
Well, as that old saying goes, “life happens while you’re making plans.” No one could have told me at age nineteen when I got my first part-time teller position that I would end up being a branch manager at a financial institution. It has not been easy juggling being a mother of two sons, working a demanding full-time job, and attending college. My family and I sacrificed a lot of quality time together that we will never get back. While I still have plans of one day going to law school, I believe now is the time to take a break and focus on my family, whom have been supportive of me furthering my education. What I would really like to do is combine my banking experience with my passion to practice law and become an estate, wills, and trust attorney or something similar.
Favorite Professor:
I have truly enjoyed all of my professors, many of which I have taken for more than one class. If I have to choose a favorite, I would say Dr. Jason Whitehead. Dr. Whitehead is the pre-law advisor here on campus and he heads the Legal Studies Certificate Program. He is extremely passionate about teaching and making sure his students get the most out of his courses and their college education.
Favorite Class:
Although I have enjoyed just about every single one of my classes at CSULB, my absolute favorite class was Philosophy of Law. I loved the structure of the class, the assignments, and the class discussions. I always looked forward to going to that class. Of course, I got an A!
Favorite Spot on campus:
My favorite spot on campus was the CSULB Library. When I was not at work, it was my second home. The Starbucks was definitely an added bonus! I did my best studying there.
Activities and organizations:
Due to my demanding work schedule, I was not able to join as many campus clubs/organizations as I would have liked to. I definitely tried to get the full college experience as much as possible. Fortunately, I was able to join the Law Society here on campus. I thoroughly enjoyed being a member. It was an excellent opportunity to meet and network with other students with similar interests. We also did many fun activities and received tons of information pertaining to how to prepare for and apply to law school.
Favorite Quote:
“Dream as if you’ll live forever but live each day as if it were going to be your last.” – James Dean
