That was the challenge. Sleep deprived; didn’t have computers back then, so I typed everything out on a word processor, so I used my secretarial skills. The challenges were working full time, raising a family, having three children, my husband at the time was just new to the police force, so he was working nights, and just trying to balance everything. It was a struggle, but – so I guess from undergrad to law school because I went straight through, it took me ten years; and anything worth having…you have, you fight for it, so that’s what I try to instill in my own daughters. But to do it all over again, I wouldn’t have the energy to do all that.
Polly Tatum was born in Leominster, Massachusetts in 1964, where she lived from childhood into adolescence with her adoptive parents. In this interview, Polly talks about the challenges she faced during her many years in education. She enrolled at Worcester State College, achieved her undergraduate degree, and went on to get her JD while simultaneously raising a family of three daughters. Polly shares a message of motivation and strength in professional and personal lives. Being adopted as an infant, Polly also emphasizes the importance of family. Polly had both a biological and adoptive family, so her passion for family law and adoption services is evident. She also describes her volunteer work with Girls, Inc., the YMCA, Martin Luther King Empowerment Center, and the Worcester County Bar Association where she was the third woman and first person of color to serve as president in the organization’s 125 year history. Polly shares a bright hope for the strength of women, and encourages women of the future to seize all of their opportunities.