Meet Quest Maker Beverly Goodman Park
Quest Makers are women in their 40s and beyond who've declared
"now it's my time," and then set off on their own journeys to realize their dreams. Every month a Quest Maker is featured in the FREE e-newsletter, Your Next Quest Chronicles. Click here to enjoy archived issues.
Quest Maker Beverly Goodman Park
From life getting in the way to making her life authentic in every way
Since she was a little girl, Beverly had wanted to be a lawyer. That dream never went away. After a divorce and with her children grown and on their own, she reclaimed that dream because she wanted it, entering law school at 56 1/2 years old and passing the bar—on the first try! Now a lawyer with a flourishing juvenile defense practice, she has been living her life on her own terms ever since.
When did you decide to embark on your journey?
Since I was a little kid I had always wanted to be a lawyer. Life got in the way. I married and had children and throughout my life I had no time to do it. Then my life changed. I divorced and I realized that my life wasn’t going to be what I thought it would be. I needed to rethink what I would do. One big thing was law school so at 56 ½ , I did it and graduated when I was 61.
How has your quest unfolded?
Better than what I expected. I made some adjustments along the way. I originally thought I was going to open my own practice. What I did instead wais go to work for an attorney to get some background, feel my way with research and learn how a law office worked. That eventually led me to juvenile criminal law where I took court appointed cases. Now I have a career and a very successful juvenile defense practice.
The big thing was that I passed the bar the first time even though I didn’t think I had when I finished. A friend even loaned me her ocean front home so I could study for the retake. That’s the dilemma with law school: you work and you work, and in the end, you are not sure you will get the reward.
I had made a mistake on an essay question and realized it halfway through. It turned out that the examiners are looking at your reasoning more than the answer. I called my kids in the middle of the night to tell them I had passed the first time.
What changes did this bring to your life?
Well, for the first time I was supporting myself totally. I also moved closer to the law school. It meant I made new friends and my old friends had to be understanding. While I did lose some friends because I didn’t have time, people should know, though, that I still kept many of my old ones.
I have been very fortunate in my friends. There were five of us who had been friends since we were little. One moved to California and another died. The three of us who live here have remained very close. I didn’t lose these friends; they stuck it out. In fact, I will be seeing them next week. Our children consider themselves cousins.
How did you deal with obstacles on your adventure?
When a friend told me I didn’t have enough time in my life to go to law school, I told her if I wait for four years, I won’t have a degree. If I am going to use up those four years, I might as well as use them doing what I want to do. Initially, my son was very skeptical because he was an attorney and he knew how much work was involved. However when I decided to go to school, he and my two daughters were very supportive all the way through.
How did you make time for your dream?
I worked full time as the director of public information at the University of Connecticut Health Center and went to school part-time at night. And I just kept going, that’s all.
I made time by being adaptable to life and adjusting my activities so they would fit. I like to have a good time, and with a book in hand I did. I took my books wherever I went. I could study anywhere—cars, trains, restaurants, even watching football games. I could be with people and studying at the same time.
What helped you stay on your quest's path?
I wanted it. Simple as all that.
What's been the secret to reaching your goals?
Persistence and the desire to accomplish what you want to do. It sounds like a template but it’s true.
What's the best advice you've ever received?
One of my best childhood friends told me, “Just do it. Keep your eye on the target.”
Looking back, what's one thing you wish you had known as you set off on your journey?
I wish I had known what kind of law I wanted to practice. At first I thought I would become a divorce attorney because of what I was going through except it wasn’t a good fit and I wasn’t all that interested in it the end. The field of law is so vast that to become a generalist, you have to be in it for years to be fair to your clients. I love working with young people and I have developed expertise as a juvenile defense lawyer working with children from ages of 7-16.
What is the one essential quality you'd tell women to pack for their own journey?
Having a sense of humor is very important. You have to be able to make some difficult choices. With humor, the challenges don’t knock you down. You have to be able to laugh at things that are uncomfortable and know it is going to be fine.
Humor has really helped me out dealing with young people who have so much on their plate that you wonder how they do it. If we can laugh together and build a bond, they will let me help them in court so I can handle their cases in a successful way.
Is there a particular quote, a movie, a book or a person that has sustained you?
One of my favorite quotes is on a giant postcard my California friend sent all of us (when we find something we send one to the other three) that said: “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” [Editor's note: Seneca, 1st century A.D. Roman philosopher] That’s what I did. I went to college, got a master’s degree, thought about what I wanted. I was prepared. When the time came, I stepped into it.
My mother also told me: ”If you ask a question, you get an answer.” In other words, if you really know what you want, getting answers to questions can just confuse you, even in the little things in life. That has sustained me. You can sit here and think you can do this or do that. If you’re wrong, you will find out soon enough. She was right. If you really want it, answers are just going to be confusing. When there is something in my mind and there is an obstacle. I just do what I think it is right.
My favorite movie is a British movie called “The Gods Must Be Crazy.” I also love my collection of 007 movies. Bond gets the job done. There are no questions about not doing something because it is too hard or inconvenient. I also love the old Tarzan movies. Here was a boy lost in the jungle, brought up by apes and yet he managed to make his own way.
Do you have a new quest around the corner?
I would love to travel more and would like to go to Africa and Alaska.
I have collected lot of Charlie Chaplin films – there’s someone who came from nothing. What I would like to do is develop a curriculum and make presentations to senior citizens about the films and their background.
I never learned to read music and I would love to learn to play a mandolin. I have got to learn how to do both, you see. Will I have enough time to do it all? I don’t know.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
I am not sure if this is important except I want to say that I am gay. I have always known I was. While my parents were alive, I didn’t do anything about it. I was married to a decent man. I have three great children.
When I got divorced, I decided I would be who I am and I moved to western Massachusetts to a town which is very diverse. When I told my children, they were and are very supportive. For the last 11 years I have lived with a wonderful partner. She has five kids and I have three. I guess this is important because part of my journey has been to be authentic in every part of my life.
If you'd like to read the essay and the Journal Sparker inspired by Beverly's interview, click here to enjoy July's YNQ Chronicles.
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