Having spent twenty years with little more than words and some ingenuity to influence judges and juries that my cause was correct, I have come to appreciate the punch of the English language and the importance of word choice and diction. While working my way through college, I took a job in a supermarket as a cashier to pay off a phone bill that I was too embarrassed (and too eager to prove my independence) to bring to my parents. Just as cream rises to the top, so too do responsible employees in the retail business; within three years, I had been promoted several times and was appointed store manager at the Harvard Street (Allston, MA) location. Within another two years, I was promoted to District Store Manager, and was given the responsibility of overseeing 17 stores. In developing my skills in management, I found that my store always had an abundance of employees, despite very low unemployment rates; other stores were desperate for employees. I, on the other hand, had help because I developed my employees, trained them well, and ran English classes in the basement for my immigrant employees (mostly Vietnamese), who I taught enough English so they would be able to interact appropriately with customers and count change. I would not have been so successful without my teaching abilities and belief in the importance of education and training. As a student, I came to appreciate the work that went into being a teacher, and I respected them for that which they instilled in me. In choosing my path, I set my course toward a career in education.
However, after hearing from three well-respected professors, I veered off my track, went to law school, and became an attorney. I was able to reconcile the deviation, however, because I was still “teaching”, although in this regard to judges, clients, employees, and juries. Like high schoolers, my “students” did not always agree with me, however. In addition, while there are numerous opportunities to use creativity in the practice of law, I recall with some fondness