As a part-time deputy clerk at Williamsburg/James City County Courthouse, Molly Grazier works typical hours (8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. four days a week) and has a typical desk available for use.
What is not typical is what the job means to her.
“I am so excited to have a desk job, so excited to have a cubicle,” said Grazier, who graduates this semester from Virginia Peninsula Community College with an associate degree in Paralegal Studies. “The whole process was really affirming.”
That process wasn’t new to her. She has worked in fast food restaurants and coffee shops, but always aspired for more professional settings and roles, which aren’t as abundant for college students. But applying and interviewing for her government role was different.
“I loved every step of it, from applying, to the phone calls, to the emails, to sitting and talking about myself,” she said. ‘And I didn’t have as much anxiety with that as I did with lower-tier jobs. So, it was really nice to be like, ‘This feels right.’ So, I like it. I enjoy it.”
The affirmation that came with her hiring has shown her she’s on the right path, even though it’s different from what her friends have taken and what she anticipated out of high school. She thought she would attend a four-year school, but her father, who lives in Williamsburg, has always stressed the value of a community college. That is how she chose VPCC.
Molly Grazier (second from right) and her teammates from the 2024 VPCC Volleyball team.
Her adjustment from high school in Texas to VPCC wasn’t easy, though. In addition to moving halfway across the country, she was leaving behind friends, many of whom were attending large four-year universities. She had to make decisions for herself; no one was making them for her. She wasn’t having the typical college experience she wanted. She chose an academic program, physics, she soon learned wasn’t for her and struggled in the classroom. She wasn’t happy, and it showed in her grades.
“I felt for a little while I was falling behind,” she said. “That first year really was a swift kick in the pants.”
In summer 2023 after one year on the physics track, she discovered the Paralegal Studies program at the College. She didn’t know much about it but noticed the words “legal assistance.”
“Lawyers argue, and I like to think of different perspectives and such,” she said.
Things couldn’t have worked out better.
“I’ve loved it ever since,” she said.
She earned all A’s her first semester in the program, a far cry from her physics grades.
“It was because I enjoyed it,” she said. “I picked it because I wanted it, rather than because of the end (result).”
She first chose physics because she had a good high school physics teacher her senior year and thought it would lead to a more lucrative financial career.
“This was so much better,” she said of the Paralegal Studies program. “And I picked it all on my own. I didn’t have anybody over my shoulder being like, ‘You should do this instead.’”
Associate Professor Amy Anderson, the department head for Legal Studies at VPCC, has had Grazier in more than half a dozen classes. She never would have guessed Grazier struggled while transitioning to college.
“All I’ve seen since she first got a taste of learning the law, however, is an eager learner who has grown in knowledge, skills, and confidence as she continuously hones herself into the type of compassionate advocate that I know will have great impact on the individuals and communities she serves,” Anderson said.
She already is having an impact. Grazier and Jessica Montgomery founded the MOOT club at VPCC, which prepares fellow students for careers in government and law. They meet regularly to draft legislation for the annual Virginia Government Simulation at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“We see problems in our community or student bodies or different groups,” Grazier said. “We talk about the problem and what potential legislative solutions we can provide, and it gets everybody thinking about local politics as well as the power we have as an individual, like how you can see one issue and turn it into a full bill.”
Anderson has been impressed by how Grazier interacts with her classmates.
“Molly has shown herself to be a kindhearted, natural leader in how she serves others, especially her classmates, by making sure that all students and viewpoints are included in LGL classes and activities,” she said.
Grazier also helps classmates with projects and studying and provides rides to those who otherwise wouldn’t make it to field trips or events, according to Anderson.
“Honestly, Molly is just a cool person with a big heart and a fierce determination to succeed on her terms, though not at others’ expense,” Anderson said. “I’ll seriously miss having her in classes after she graduates.”
Although Grazier wouldn’t mind working for the National Security Agency (NSA) or the Department of Defense (DOD) in Washington, D.C., politics aren’t necessarily in her future.
“Politics is good practice. It’s good talking. It’s good understanding. … lots of like tactile work so we can see how everything works, rather than just assuming how the sausage gets made,” she said.
Admittedly, she has a lot on her plate, but that is when she shines. In high school, she balanced academics, work, and sports, including water polo and volleyball. At VPCC, she was on the volleyball team in the fall 2024, evening being recognized for her academics that semester. It reminded her she could handle more.
“That was very similar in high school,” she said. “I thrived with all the chaos that was going on.”
While she’s graduating with one associate degree this semester, her time at VPCC is not over. She will finish an associate degree in business from VPCC in the fall. She hopes to transfer to the College of William & Mary for the spring 2026 semester to pursue a bachelor’s in business before attending W&M Law School.
“That’s the dream,” she said.
It’s been quite a journey since high school, not exactly the one she expected but one that has worked for her. It can work for others, she said, whether straight out of high school, transferring from a bigger school, or going back to school.
“There’s always going to be a space for you, and community college is such a great bridge, especially at VPCC. I think there’s so much room to grow,” Grazier said. “I really advocate for community college now, more so than I ever have before. Obviously, that comes with experience.”
She thinks back to her first semester in the Paralegal Studies program.
“Getting that academic recognition was reaffirming,” she said. “Ever since then, I’ve just been like, ‘Yes, this is what I do, and I’m proud of it.’”