03/20/2026
Did you know that many graduates of Highline College’s AAS Paralegal and Paralegal Plus programs go on to law school? Here are three examples...
AAS:
Marissa Dewberry had always wanted to be a lawyer, but others thought her dream was unrealistic. As a single mom, even attending college seemed out of reach. When Marissa began her studies at Highline, she was the first in her family to attend college. She worked hard because, as she says, “I wanted to proceed as if I were going to finish.” Marissa did complete her AAS degree in paralegal studies and obtained a full-time job at King County Housing Justice Project. While working full time, she completed her bachelors’ degree, and began studying for the LSAT. Marissa took on each step, “as if” she could complete it.
Paralegal Plus:
Amy Larson wanted to be a legal professional to do public interest work for underserved communities. Amy started the Highline College Paralegal Plus program “to establish a base of legal knowledge” from which she could study for the LSAT and apply to law school. “Learning to do legal research and analysis in our program made preparing for law school less overwhelming.” While completing her studies at Highline, Amy applied for admission to the University of Kansas Law School and was admitted on a full scholarship. Amy is now completing her second year at law school and is already doing legal aid work. As Amy says, “It only gets easier!”
Many students in Highline’s Paralegal Program were lawyers in other countries and use the program as a step toward re-establishing their legal careers. O example is Marwa Al-Masri. Marwa started by taking ESL courses at Highline before entering the Paralegal Plus program. She gained her first U.S. legal professional experience as a student in the program’s required internship. Upon completing her Paralegal Plus certificate, Marwa was hired by the King County Bar Association as Domestic Violence Advocate. Last year Marwa was admitted to Seattle University Law School’s LLM program for international lawyers. She recently took the Washington bar exam and is looking forward to the results.
