Growing up, Billie Jo Matelevich-Hoang ’06 didn’t play house like other little girls—instead, she played lawyer. The career plan she formulated as a six-year-old underwent some revisions along the way.
After college, Matelevich-Hoang pursued a career in consulting. In her work for the Coalition of Victims Assistance Organization, she helps prevent and reduce crime and delinquency and promotes the fair treatment of crime victims and witnesses in the Pennsylvania Commonwealth. Her dream of attending law school never faded, though, and she enrolled at Widener Law for personal development and to gain a better understanding of the legal environment surrounding her profession.
“A lot of my women mentors told me that an education is something that can never be taken away from you,” Matelevich-Hoang says. “The more you educate yourself, the more you can sustain yourself.”
Matelevich-Hoang’s legal education has definitely enhanced her professional abilities and knowledge. Armed with legal skills, she’s able to help state advocates with their training needs for helping crime victims and makes sure all programs are following the law.
What’s more, her legal education has developed her ability to look at all sides of every situation. In her work, she no longer approaches things only from the victim’s point of view—and that makes her a more effective consultant.
Moreover, Matelevich-Hoang’s flexible schedule as a consultant allows her to donate her legal services to the local domestic violence shelter. And playing lawyer is just as much fun as she remembers.