Ask anyone who knew me in a professional capacity for the past 29 years about my prior job description and they’d say “Oh, Dawn? She talked to kids”. Well…yes, put simply - that is what I did. I talked to kids. But better yet, I LISTENED to them. Thousands of them. Never did I imagine my career in law enforcement would lead me to work with abused children, and for so long, but apparently that was the plan God had for me. Building relationships with some of these kids and watching them grow into healthy adults was, I’d say, the highlight of my career.  Being able to love them has blessed me more than they will ever know.

That season finally came to an end, though, and I found myself yearning for something different, but I didn’t know what. After much thought I came to realize my strengths-  I’m a good active listener; I am a stickler for detail; I love to apply the law (I knew a lot about criminal law at the time, nothing about civil law); and I’m pretty good at writing. In fact, those are the attributes that made me successful while ‘talking’ to kids and working to put the bad guys away. So, I concluded, why not apply these traits to my next venture in life?

That’s the moment I recalled over 20 years ago having this faint thought in the back of my mind of becoming a Notary, so much so that I considered going back to Nicholls to take the prep course for the exam. I didn’t do it, of course, but apparently, that idea sat there all this time, just waiting to be fanned into a flame! Well, this time I went for it. I studied hard and I passed. Turns out that being a Notary is perfect for me!  I get to ask questions and actively listen, then draw up documents and apply the details that the client wants, according to the law. What an exciting fit!