These PCSCE Grads Prove There’s More Than One Path to Law School
The number of people looking to become lawyers is on the rise. According to statistics from the Law School Admission Council, 71,000 people applied to law school for the 2021-22 academic year – about a 13% increase from the prior year and the highest number in the last decade.
If you’re interested in switching careers to become a lawyer (or starting your professional career as one) but don’t have a bachelor’s degree, you may feel overwhelmed by the years of schooling ahead.
But becoming a lawyer is more possible than you think. Here’s an inspiring look at three very different paths that Providence College School of Continuing Education (PC SCE) graduates took from bachelor’s degree completion to law school to passing the Bar Exam.
Jesse Bousquet Jr., Esq., ‘07 SCE
BA, History
JD, New England Law | Boston, 2012
Practicing in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
“I worked as a mechanic when I decided to enroll at CCRI at about 25 years old. I didn’t originally intend on going on to law school. I wanted to be a teacher or professor. It was a simple Constitutional Law class there that fed the fire and pushed me into law.
After earning an associate degree at CCRI, I decided to pursue a bachelor’s degree at PC SCE. I chose PC because it is a Catholic school and has a great reputation in the community. My grandparents also were strong supporters of my choice to attend PC.
I walked into the SCE office after speaking with an academic advisor at CCRI. I asked her, “I want to go to law school and I need to know how to get there from here.” I did entertain other Catholic schools, but I chose SCE because I could easily transfer my credits from CCRI, and it offered a flexibility that I really needed, being that I was also still working 50 hours per week or more.
During my time at SCE I was treated like the rest of the students, including by the day students, even though I was older. I met many friends and they made me feel like part of the greater community, often inviting me to social events. I also got to meet many students that played on the men’s and women’s basketball teams, softball, and other teams as I took as many summer classes as I could to try to accelerate my progress. I have many fond memories of all my classes and the people I spent time with there.
I graduated from PC with a BA in History in December 2007. (Interesting fact: my 9th grade math teacher also walked in that class after getting a master’s degree, and we got to reconnect. I, of course, apologized for being a difficult student at the time she was my teacher.)
After that, I quit my job and went to law school full time. I applied to five law schools and was accepted to four, and received scholarship offers from all of them. I decided to attend New England Law | Boston and graduated with my Juris Doctor in 2012.
I became licensed to practice law in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island and opened my own business the next year. I operate a small firm focused on landlord tenant law and criminal defense.
SCE propelled my academic work ethic and academic experience to where it needed to be for law school. Ultimately, SCE changed me for the better. My time there made me a better person – more focused and goal-oriented, more friendly, compassionate, caring, and quite frankly, more successful.”
Mark Harrington, ‘19 SCE
BA, Social Science
JD, Roger Williams University School of Law, 2022
“I grew up in the North End of Providence. I lived on Eaton Street across from the PC library. My family always wished that I would attend PC, but I enlisted in the Marine Corps during my junior year of high school.
After serving in the Marine Corps, I transferred to the R.I. Army National Guard in June 2001 and served until 2013. During my time with the Guard, I deployed multiple times to Iraq, Afghanistan, New Orleans, La. in support of Hurricane Katrina, and numerous emergencies in RhodeIsland. I applied to be a correctional officer at the R.I. Department of Corrections in 2004, and after graduating the academy, I worked there until 2013.
By that time, I knew I was unhappy working at the ACI, so I resigned and enrolled at CCRI using my G.I. Bill, Chapter 31 Vocational Rehabilitation and training benefits. This program requires the service member to take assessments to form a plan of what type of employment they would succeed in. I was unsure about what I wanted to do, so I said I wanted to go to law school.
I knew it would take seven years to complete this goal and I, honestly, never thought I would make it that far. But by the following semester, I became a full-time student.
After graduating from CCRI, I decided to attend PC. One of the contributing factors in my decision was my “Nan,” who always wanted me to attend PC. After she passed away, I wanted to do something in honor of her, and so part of the reason I chose PC was to honor her wish.
I met with the advisor at SCE and explained that my goal was to apply to law school after earning my degree. We examined the course catalog and I opted to pursue a degree in Social Science. I graduated in 2019 and the following fall enrolled at Roger Williams University School of Law.
I graduated with my Juris Doctor on May 22, 2022. Now I’m studying to take the Bar Exam in July. Once I pass the Bar, I plan to continue working in criminal defense.”
Stephen Callahan ‘21SCE
BA, Liberal Studies
St. John’s University School of Law
“I had taken a good number of college classes before deciding to enlist in the U.S. Air Force before obtaining a degree. I served on active duty for six years, in locations including Guam, Okinawa and South Korea. I spent my last 10 months in the Air Force in South Dakota, and at that time I decided to apply to PC SCE.
Ultimately, I was chasing after a PC bachelor’s degree because many of my family members are alumni of the college as well. But I still didn’t have a specific idea of what I wanted to do in the future. Luckily through SCE offered broad options as well as some distance learning courses, so I took a couple of those.
After my time in the Air Force, I used the GI Bill to enroll at SCE full time. I decided quickly that I wanted to be a Liberal Studies major. The major allowed me to transfer the most credits from my prior college courses, and it offered a combination of communication- and problem solving-focused courses that I thought would be useful.
I really matured in the Air Force, so when I enrolled full-time I took my studies seriously and really excelled academically. I decided to apply to law school in the fall of 2021. I was admitted to several but decided to attend St. John’s University School of Law. I’ll start my studies there this fall. I’m unsure what area of law I want to focus on, but I’m leaning towards public interest.
I think there’s intrinsic value in studying the law, and the opportunity to address some savage inequalities. I believe in equal opportunity for people and studying the law provides the chance to make a positive impact on that.
I am certain I would not be in the position I am in without PC’s School of Continuing Education.”
