Faces of Global: Angelina Duran

Key Takeaways

Angelina Duran dreamed of becoming an attorney ever since she was a little kid. As a first-generation student and mom of four, she has overcome many challenges to walk down that path and is now on her way to making her dream a reality.

When deciding which school to attend, Duran chose CSU Global so she could complete all her coursework from home. “I’m a mom of four kids, one with special needs, and I work full-time,” she shared. “I was only able to complete work at night. I needed the flexibility CSU Global provides to be successful.”

Duran was the first one in her family to go to college. “My mom had a full-ride scholarship but gave it up when she got pregnant with me,” she said. “My husband didn’t even graduate from high school. Many of my family members dropped out of school due to struggles with drugs.”

One of the challenges she faced as a first-generation student was trying to find someone who could relate to her experiences. She longed for someone to give her perspectives on how she was doing with assignments and someone to talk through projects with. She was grateful for the support of CSU Global instructors during these instances.

Duran shared a story about taking a chemistry course that was especially challenging. “When I was struggling with the material, my instructor jumped online right away to help me, saying things like ‘Try and look for this,’or ‘I will give you a hint.’ This instructor helped me persevere when I was at my wit’s end and was ready to quit the class. I’m grateful that even though CSU Global is fully online, instructors are still committed to helping students succeed.”

In her work as a paralegal, Duran was able to apply what she learned in her classes to her daily life. “My coursework impacts my mindset at work everyday,” she mentioned. She explained how her classes allowed her to help her boss more effectively and bring new ideas to light for their criminal cases. “My boss commented that he saw my mindset shift after I started going to school,” she noted. “It has made me more open-minded and helps me think outside the box. What I learned in my CSU Global classes will help tremendously in my future career.”

Duran shared another story of how studying a specific case in one of her classes helped her and her boss in real life. She had been studying the components of murder when a murder case came across their desk. She was able to apply the principles of what she had learned to have discussions with her boss about how the murder charges didn’t make sense because they didn’t fit the components. “We were able to use what I had learned to defend an innocent person,” she said.

After a year and a half of hard work, Duran graduated with her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from CSU Global.

What’s next for Duran? “My next adventure will be to go to law school,” she stated. “I’ve currently put those plans on hold due to my son still being so young. I want to wait until he is a little older and can understand that mom has homework. But I have been studying for the LSAT and have found two online law schools that will allow me to sit for the bar here in Colorado.”

Duran is proud to have made it through her CSU Global program and to have set an example of perseverance for her kids. “Attending CSU Global helped me realize that I can still take steps to get to where I want to be. I have also been able to show my children that no matter what life gives you or throws your way, dreams can still be achieved, as long as you don’t give up and you keep pushing hard.”

We love hearing from our students and learning more about their personal CSU Global experiences. We hope they inspire you as much as they inspire us!