“Deciding to go to Branford Hall has been a huge benefit in my life! I am no longer jumping from job to job."
Tonisha Gonzalez was struggling to make ends meet while working part-time at Wal-Mart. She had to care for herself and her daughter, and the job wasn’t enough. She recalls, “I was having a difficult time financially and I didn’t have any real career prospects.” She continued, “I realized that I needed a job with better pay, so that I could take care of my family and we could live more comfortably.”
One field that always interested Tonisha was the field of law. She had always pictured herself working in an office setting. She began looking into paralegal programs, and liked what she saw at Branford Hall. She decided to enroll in the Paralegal program at the campus in Southington, CT.
But Tonisha was still concerned about going back to school. She had been away for some time, and was worried that she would struggle academically. But once school started, her worries went away. She found the coursework to be challenging but manageable. Tonisha credits the instructors with helping to ease her fears. “The faculty and other students were very welcoming at Branford Hall. The instructors were careful to make sure all the students understood what was being taught and presented the information in a way that kept us focused and interested,” Tonisha shares.
After graduation, Tonisha was offered a job as a paralegal at the law office of Peter Upton & Associates, LLC. She was thrilled to take the job, and in a relatively short period of time, she was given a salary promotion. Some of the cases she assisted with included workers’ compensation, criminal law, Social Security, and personal injury.
What Tonisha says about Branford Hall: “Deciding to go to Branford Hall has been a huge benefit in my life! I am no longer jumping from job to job. My financial worries have disappeared. With a more rewarding job, I find I have become more responsible as a professional and as a mother. My attitude is positive, and I am making good decisions in my life. I am a much better worker than I ever had been before, and I walk with my head held high.”