Virtual Resume
Marissa Dillon
PART ONE: GOAL SETTING
Academic S.M.A.R.T Goal
M: I have been on honor roll for grade nine and I am headed onto honor roll again for grade 10. To achieve my goal of receiving honor roll for all four years of high school, I will ask my teachers for more frequent mark updates. If my teachers do not provide me with extra mark updates, I can keep track of my marks by looking at past assignments, quizzes, and tests. I will also ask my teachers for feedback on how I am doing in the class and what they think I need to improve on to be successful within the course.
A: To achieve my goal of receiving honor roll for all four years of high school, I will study harder in my courses and focus on lessons so I am able to do very well on assignments, quizzes, and tests. I will ask teachers for additional help if I do not understand something in the class and complete homework tasks to the best of my ability. My strengths that will help me achieve this goal is that I am a very determined and motivated person, once I set my mind to something I usually work harder to achieve it. Another strength I have is that I am very good at studying, I have a set study method that I use which is write out the answers to questions that will be on the test or quiz and then quiz myself. This study method always works for me and I always do good on tests or quizzes when i use this method. One weakness that will create obstacles with achieving my goal is my habit of procrastination. I usually leave many things to the last minute and therefore I am unable to complete tasks to the best of my ability because it is always rushed. The marks that I receive when I leave tasks to the last minute are not very good which could bring my course mark down and therefore my average goes down as well. Another weakness I have when it comes to achieving my goal is math. Math has always been a struggle for me ever since I attended elementary school and it always is the course that brings down my average. If I change this pattern by asking for more help, taking math more seriously, and completing math homework tasks I believe that I can overcome this obstacle.
R: I can achieve my goal of getting honor roll all four years of high school because I am a motivated person and I always strive for the best in everything that I do. If I really set my mind on school and focus on my grades I know that I will be successful in the end. This goal is doable because I know I am able to maintain an average above 80% all four years based on my strengths when it comes to school and my determination. Achieving honor roll all four years is important to me because not only is it good for post secondary but it gives me more self confidence when it comes to school and my courses. I get a sense of achievement and my parents will also be proud of me. It shows that I take school seriously and I am able to maintain a high average the same time as I take part in my sports which usually take up almost all of my time during the week.
T: I want to receive honor roll for all four years of high school by the time I graduate. The smaller goals that I will set to help me achieve my goal is to get 100% on my quizzes and tests by studying harder and to complete homework tasks and assignments to the best of my ability, and without any issues.
Volunteering S.M.A.R.T Goal
S: I would like to have 200 volunteer hours by the time I graduate high school.
M: To achieve my goal of having 200 volunteer hours before I graduate, I will continue to volunteer at many places and keep track of my hours every time I go to volunteer. This means I will fill in a log made by myself to make sure I am on my way to achieve my goal.
A: In order to get 200 volunteer hours before I graduate, I have to volunteer at many places frequently so my hours will eventually add up to 200. One strength that I have with achieving this goal is that one thing I really enjoy doing is helping people and volunteering at a place is somewhere you can do that. If I enjoy doing something I will be more likely to stick with it and have fun. A weakness that I have with achieving my goal is that I may not be able to volunteer many days during the week due to my sports practices and school.
R: I know that I can achieve my goal of having 200 volunteer hours by the time I finish high school because volunteering is something that I really enjoy taking part in, and I also get to help people which is another thing I enjoy doing. This goal is doable because I have two years left of high school and that is plenty of time to gain more volunteer hours, especially since I have close to 50 right now. This goal is important to me because I want to achieve many things within my lifetime and knowing that I spent 200 hours giving back to communities and helping people is a really satisfying feeling.
T: I want to have 200 volunteer hours by the time I graduate high school. The smaller goals I will set to help me achieve my goal is to make sure I actually go out into the community and volunteer for different places and also to make time so that I am able to volunteer and give back as much as I can.
Part Two: Preparing For Transitions and Change
PART THREE: FUTURE JOB RESUME
Marissa Dillon
Email: marissadillon_19@hotmail.com
Website: https://www.smore.com/tg4se
Location: 57 Rain Lily Lane, Brampton, ON, Canada
Phone: 905-216-5565
Objective
I'm looking for a position at a firm where I am able to apply critical thinking and problem solving along with my knowledge and passion of the legal system as a Lawyer.
Education
University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law
Juris Doctor
Fredericton, New Brunswick
September 2021 - May 2024
University of New Brunswick
Bachelor of Arts
Fredericton, New Brunswick
September 2018 - May 2021
Louise Arbour Secondary School
OSSD
Brampton, Ontario
September 2014 - June 2018
Work Experience
Canada's Wonderland Vaughan, Ontario March 2016 - November 2016
Merchandise Sales Associate (Seasonal)
Hired by area supervisors to provide customer service to guests and sell products at a store
Attended many training sessions to gain more knowledge about my department
Applied problem solving skills when dealing in different situations with customers
Always reliable when asked to work overtime or cover shifts
Trusted with the responsibility of working behind a cash register
Extra-Curricular
Rugby
March 2016 - Present
Wrestling
2x Regional Silver Medalist
October 2014 - Present
Kickboxing
September 2013 - Present
Volunteer Experience
Terry Miller Recreational Centre
Teaching Ball Hockey to youth
Brampton, Ontario
October 2013 - June 2015
Mount Royal Public School
Grade 3 Classroom Helper
Brampton, Ontario
March 2015
Matmen Wrestling
Wrestling tournament (score keeping)
Brampton, Ontario
March 2015
Skills and Abilities
Eager to learn new things and participate in tasks and projects
Relates and gets along well with others
Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
Fluent in American Sign Language
Positive attitude and behavior
Strong work ethic
Always determined and motivated to complete tasks
- Goal orientated and always aiming to achieve the best
- Strong critical thinking and problem solving abilities
Working knowledge of French
Effective oral and written communication skills
Research and information gathering skills
Teamwork
Takes on challenges with ease
Achievements
Juris Doctor
May 2024
Bachelor of Arts
May 2021
Honor Roll
June 2015
Certifications
Lawyer
May 2025
CPR/First Aid
April 2015
Hobbies and Interests
Kickboxing
Rugby
Reading
Working Out
Travelling
Baking
Volunteering
Wrestling
References
Leran Oirik, Area Supervisor, Canada's Wonderland, 905-832-7000 ext. 7463, Leran.oirik@canadaswonderland.com
Nathan Jiminez, Floor Hockey Instructor, Terry Miller Recreation Centre, (905) 791-8211, nathanjiminez0804@gmail.com
Part Four: Challenges & Solutions
Time Management and Priorities
As a lawyer you must be very career driven and focused on your job. As much as this is a good thing in terms of making your career strive and accomplishing many things, you must sacrifice your time with family and friends. You work very intensively for long hours and when you come home you may just want to rest. This affects your relationship with your family as you will not be spending time with them. This could lead to you being stressed and lonely all the time along with your family and friends feeling neglected. In order to overcome this issue, you must be able to organize your tasks and have a set schedule on when you want to work on them which will help you complete tasks on time. By doing this you will have free hours or maybe days to rest and spend time with your family, but also meeting due dates. In order to be a successful lawyer you must ensure that you have a good support system at home and work so you are able to balance your career and relationships without feeling like you are letting people down or not outputting your best work. It is essential that you have people around you that you can trust and talk to after a long, hard day at work so you can begin to move on from it and take on another day.
Emotional Trauma
Lawyers are presented with a variety of cases each day from individuals who face many different problems. Sometimes the severity of the cases including what the clients went through and their emotions could take a toll on a lawyer as they are dealing with them. Lawyers could become emotionally invested in a case, even though they are trained not to be no matter what law field they are working in and according to Slaw, “It can change the way you see the world and your sense of normalcy can shift. Suddenly the world is much more dangerous”. This could pose as a challenge for many lawyers as they may not have experienced such trauma in their life. They have to adapt to the circumstances and work through it no matter what the issue. If you are faced with a case in which you are not sure how to deal with first-hand, for example, child abuse, then you can speak to an organization such as Red Cross. Red Cross can advise you on how to properly handle the situation without getting emotionally invested and then this leading to you being unable to work on the case. Once again it is also important to have someone who you are able to talk to and let your feelings out incase you are feeling uneasy about the situation. It could be family, friends, or in this case a therapist because of the emotional trauma.
Dissatisfaction and Unhappiness
It is not uncommon for lawyers to experience the feeling of dissatisfaction and unhappiness within their job when they are faced with a big challenge, overwhelming amount of work, or just simply become unmotivated. Sometimes when you are feeling like you are unable to produce your best work along with not feeling like you are being recognized or rewarded for your hard work could lead you to believe that the career path you have taken is not worth it and you do not have the best work environment that you should have. According to Psychology Today, “An often cited Johns Hopkins University study of more than 100 occupations, researchers found that lawyers lead the nation with the highest incidence of depression” and “Seven in ten lawyers responding to a California lawyers magazine poll said they would change careers if the opportunity arose”. Although there are many facts stating that lawyers are the most unhappy with their career than any other occupation, there are thousands of lawyers who love what they do everyday. In order to have a healthy lifestyle between yourself and your career you must do/have the following: balance, goals, and ask for assistance. It is important to have a good balance between your home and relationships along with your work and clients. If you ignore your own personal needs and put your work first all the time, your risk of making mistakes and not executing your best work is higher. Setting goals everyday while on the job is crucial because it keeps you striving for the best along with being motivated. This helps you avoid the dissatisfaction that many lawyers face daily. Lastly, Being aware that there are many people around you who are more experienced and can help you through challenges that they may have faced in the past is very important. As it is said in Psychology Today, “Remember that true professionals know when to ask for help and delegate responsibility”. If it is personal-related you must always remember that there are resources such as psychologists to help you avoid the unhappiness many lawyers face on the job.