Cynthia Lawson:  

merica. My Typing I and Shorthand I teacher, Mrs. O'Neal, also taught my mother and was a very sweet lady. My Shorthand II teacher was Miss Provance. She also was the sponsor of Future Secretaries and used to tell us stories about Goldie Hawn, who she used to babysit. She was a very distant cousin of mine and she died of a heart attack one morning as she was driving to school. She was found in her car on the side of the road. It was a very sad time for the Business Dept. Loved my business classes and still occasionally get to use my Gregg shorthand, which is a dying art; loved geometry but hated algebra; wish I'd paid more attention to Geography - to this day I have no sense of direction and consider myself "geographically challenged" but I thought Mr. Merlin was terrific; loved English grammar but didn't care for Shakespeare; wish I'd had a different French II teacher besides Mr. Profitt - he was strange. I learned SO much from Miss Hopkins in the various choral groups that has stayed with me. When I sing with the synagogue choir my eyes are constantly on the conductor, while everyone around me has their noses buried in their music. They miss important cues and it drives me nuts! College Some college, but I'm most proud of my Professional Legal Secretary designation. I studied like mad for about 9 months before taking the 2-day, 7-part exam that is given just twice a year, and this was after I had had several years experience as a legal secretary. The exam is so difficult that you're allowed to pass it in parts, like the CPA exam. I even had to study the Ethics Canons for the attorneys. At the time I took tje exam I was among the just 14% who passed the entire exam at one time. Afterward I felt like everything I had ever learned had been picked from my brain and put on paper and was exhausted for 3 days. About 3 months later the results came in the mail, and I knew I had passed before opening the envelope because it was addressed to "Cynthia E. Wedding, PLS" and I cried. It was an exciting time for me and I had a tremendous feeling of accomplishment. Workplace Lawyers - they are the brunt of many jokes, but in my career I have worked with many attorneys who are extremely dedicated and hard-working and I've spent most of my working life as a legal secretary. For the past 8 years I've been with an international law firm at their DC office on K Street, NW.