“After I got back from deployment, I tested out one class while I was in Killeen, and I enjoyed it,” he said. “When I got completely out [of the military] and moved, I wanted to go forward with that. I used the G.I. Bill to get me through most of undergrad.”
Mauro decided to stay in Texas and moved to Collin County, where he then enrolled at Collin College. As a veteran, he utilized the college’s Veterans Resource Center and took advantage of Maymester and Wintermester classes to help fast-track his associate degree.
The flexibility Collin College offered allowed Mauro to complete his degree as quickly as possible while working full time. He credits Collin’s professors for their eagerness to help and their consideration of his busy schedule, which made it easy for him to complete his coursework.
“The ease of how the classes were when it came to scheduling just kind of got my mindset in the right direction to handle it,” he said. “Especially being older going in than most students, being able to still handle my home life while finishing up school, I felt that Collin made it very easy for me to do that.”
After earning an Associate of Arts in Business in 2010, Mauro continued his education at Texas Woman’s University, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Mauro then took a break from school before enrolling at Baylor University School of Law. He finished his postgraduate education at the University of Denver-Sturm College of Law, where he earned his Master of Laws degree.
“Each path gave me some form of knowledge that I was searching for at the time to better assist me with the overall picture,” Mauro said. “What I’m doing now is where I wanted that picture to lead me.”
Staying on that path led to Mauro achieving his goal. He opened his own practice, Mauro Law Firm, in 2021. The Mesquite-based firm specializes in estate planning and probate law. While life as a managing attorney keeps him busy, Mauro said he would like to return to Collin College someday – but he wants to be on the other side of the classroom. One of his goals is to become a professor, potentially teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs or a business law course. In the meantime, Mauro plans to continue building his practice.
Mauro describes his journey as an adventure filled with ups and downs. For nontraditional students who are on similar paths, he encourages them to be patient and persistent.
“When it comes to school, it’s not a quick satisfaction,” he said. “It takes time and effort, and you have to be able to keep on pushing through. Having to wait multiple years before you get that satisfaction you’re looking for with graduating is hard. Being patient and knowing that you’re working toward that end goal and having the foresight to think about not only tomorrow or when you graduate but also five to 10 years down the road is important. Then you can plan it in the right way to make sure you’re not wasting any of your time while still getting the experience you need.”
For more information about resources for veterans, visit www.collin.edu/infoveterans.html.