Author Stephen Richards once said, “Inaction creates nothing. Action creates success.” For Northwest Mississippi Community College Business Instructor Eleanor (Torie) Nabors, taking action helped her reach a major career and life goal.
Recently, Nabors passed the Mississippi Bar Exam to become a licensed attorney. Nabors graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Risk Management in 2007 and then attended Mississippi College School of Law, graduating in 2010. Nabors went to law school with the intention of practicing law in some aspect.
“When I was in law school, I helped with some student organizations and I just decided that I would prefer teaching. It was just something that I kept in the back of my mind,” Nabors said.
Nabors knew that if she wanted to teach at a college or university, she would have to earn a master’s degree, so she earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Mississippi in 2014.
Nabors, who is in her third year as a full-time instructor at Northwest, teaches Legal Environment of Business, Business Statistics, Personal Financial Management and Business Communications. She taught as an adjunct for two years before taking a full-time position.
After the birth of her daughter, Nabors realized that if she wanted to get her law license, she needed to do it while her daughter was young. She took an intensive bar review last summer in order to prepare for the bar exam.
“It is something I just wanted to do. I really don’t need it for teaching, but it was something I wanted for me. But I do believe that it gives you more credibility,” Nabors said.
She also said that she worked for Mississippi State Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens during law school and that he had encouraged her to take the final step.
Nabors stated that teaching the Legal Environment of Business class at Northwest helps keep her abreast of the law, and helped her in preparing to take the bar exam.
“The class really keeps it first and foremost in your mind. It touches on a lot of aspects of the law, and I constantly do research to be able to bring new cases to my students,” Nabors said.
Nabors doesn’t think she will practice law any time in the future.
“I really love teaching, and I find that I love it more and more every year. I love my students and my Northwest family, and I just can’t imagine being any happier anywhere else. I love the feeling that I get to make a difference in students’ lives. I find that fulfilling,” Nabors said.
“We are truly fortunate to have a dedicated instructor in Torie Nabors. She is committed to her students and to her career through continued professional growth. We are honored to have an instructor with such high professional goals that go beyond what is required of her job,” said Leah Arrington, division director of Business.
Nabors and her husband Jason, an attorney in Batesville, are the parents of a daughter, Elle. They are active members of First United Methodist Church of Batesville. Nabors is also a member of the Tate-Panola Junior Auxiliary. She enjoys cycling and tries to participate in races at least twice a year.
For more information about Northwest’s Division of Business, visit the college’s website at www.northwestms.edu.
Courtesy of LaJuan Tallo and Northwest Mississippi Community College.
