craigdailypress.com

Donald Lindley's life has changed in the past few years.

"Moving here has opened many new doors for me," Lindley said.

Because of a work-related injury, Lindley needed to find something that was less physical and began looking at becoming a paralegal. After scoping out the situation in his Arkansas home it seemed like an impossible dream to pursue.

"It was cost-prohibitive. And most of my classes were full or had waiting lists. The closest one was more than 70 miles away," he said.

A telephone conversation with a friend in Craig led to the discovery of a program here. That knowledge gave Lindley new hope.

"The next thing I knew I had moved here and was enrolled in the paralegal program at CNCC (Colorado Northwestern Community College)," Lindley said.

Lindley also has a first to his credit -- he is the first male to graduate from the decade-old paralegal program at CNCC. He graduated in December.

Lindley said the experience working with CNCC and all the vocational rehabilitation represenitives was extremely positive for him.

"I can't say enough about the program and the director, Cathy Carpenter," he said. "She is great, and it was a wonderful experience for me."

By March, Lindley was beginning to think he would have to relocate again to find employment in his new field.

"I really like this area and wanted to stay," he said.

In April, Lindley got his wish. Through word of mouth he found Heather Turner, a new attorney in the area who needed a paralegal,

"Don applied, I hired him and we both have hit the ground running, and we're still running," she said.