Paralegal Student - now Alumni -Adrienne Hess

Paralegal Program Creating Confidence to Succeed

Supportive and challenging

Sounds contradictory, but they’re not. Adrienne Hess says that is exactly what she found at Inver Hills in the rigorous paralegal program. “The helpfulness of the faculty and the counselors is so beneficial,” says the second-year student. “You can talk to them about your goals.”

With that comes the confidence to succeed, even when expectations are high, like in Kathleen Knutson’s classes. “She makes you consider everything,” says Hess, about the writing exercises where students work through significant details to cover a topic comprehensively.

“I expected the paralegal program to be a challenge and it has been,” says Hess, but students also learn the tools to succeed from instructors who know how to present coursework and who encourage students along the way. Because of the confidence that instructor Zara Kinnunen showed in her, Hess says her confidence grew. “She was very supportive of me personally. She did something no one else had by making me believe that a legal career was possible for me, that I could be successful.”

Hess also is a student ambassador, leading campus tours, assisting new students with registration, and representing the college in a variety of ways. “I decided after my first year here that I wanted to be more involved.” She says the experience introduced her to new people, who now are among her best friends. It also looks good on a resume, she says, but more important, “it’s a lot of fun.”

Now in her last semester of the degree program, Hess is in the internship she really wanted in the Ramsey County prosecutor’s office. “My goal always has been to work in a county attorney’s office, to be a part of that environment, because criminal law was my main interest.” She had been pursuing a criminal justice studies major at another school before attending Inver Hills and wanted to make her legal studies at Inver reflect that special emphasis.

She has been able to work in the investigative process including major criminal cases, responsibilities that she says go beyond the traditional research, writing, and analysis work in the profession. She has collected information related to bringing cases to court, including checking criminal record histories, integrating police and crime scene reports, and assisting in building files for review and research by the attorneys. Her hope is to be able to work in a county attorney’s office after graduation.

Calling Inver Hills “the best place for her,” Hess says the student support mechanisms and outreach are exceptional. “Financial aid at Inver Hills was so straightforward; they knew the answers to my questions and there was no runaround.”