Paving Your Own Path By J1 Reporter Maggie Morris
Many people do not know what career path they want to take after college. For Cat Swartz, that was not the case. Growing up in Omaha, Neb., Swartz graduated from Duchesne Academy in 2017. During her time there, she says one of her favorite things was being involved in theater. She then moved to Kansas City to study criminal justice and psychology at Rockhurst University, which she graduated from in the spring of 2021. During college, Swartz says that she had one advisor who was a really big inspiration to her. They were one of the professors for her major and gave her a lot of helpful feedback and advice. She says it was “nice to have that kind of support,” especially during college when you are trying to figure out what your next steps in life are.
not “feel like you have to do what’s expected of you... you spend so much of your life at your job that you have to find a job that you love so that you also love your life.”
Swartz currently works full time as a paralegal assistant in Kansas City. This means that she helps one specific paralegal who works with one specific lawyer. A typical work day for her consists of collecting evidence and medical records for a big case she is working on. Once this case is settled, her focus will shift to a new case. She says that it is
After graduating from Rockhurst, Swartz applied to numerous jobs based on what she had studied. She says that the job search can
“You spend so much of your life at your job that you have to find a job that you love so that you also love your life.”
Although she had a strong sense of what she wanted to study heading into college, she says it isn’t the case with everybody. Her biggest piece of advice for high school students trying to figure out what they want to do with their future is to
be a very frustrating and slow process. After a long time of searching and filling out applications for many positions, she finally got asked to interview at a law firm, and within hours of the interview, she got a call saying that she had gotten the job.
interesting to learn about the legal system in school, but you cannot get a true idea of how it operates until you actually work in it every day. She loves getting to learn new things each day. Swartz says that her favorite part of her job is “getting to talk to people who have been wronged and be a part of 24
things that could help them get justice.” Swartz is the youngest person who works at her office, with the next youngest person being around 10 years older than her. She says that while her coworkers probably think she is too young, having this job does not make her feel super young. She also says that her parents are both very supportive of her career and proud of her young success. “I’m really lucky to have parents who trust me to make choices that are the best for me.” This is a great example of how age should not hold you back from doing what you want to do with your life and choosing a career that you enjoy. As far as her future goes, Swartz is not positive if she will attend law school or stay in the legal field for the rest of her career. She has some interest and experience in social work and non-profit work that she might want to go back into in the future, but for now, Swartz is happy that she has found a job that she loves where she gets to help others while using her knowledge for criminal justice and psychology each day.
