Brittany LeGare
When Brittany LeGare’s daughter underwent surgery in January 2024, there was one place she needed to be.
Thankfully, her professors and instructors at Owens Community College understood that wasn’t in a classroom. They worked with LeGare, allowing her to be with her daughter in the hospital.
“My professors were amazing working with me through that,” LeGare said. “I was able to be in the hospital room and work on my computer rather than be in the class.
“The professors really helped me achieve my 4.0 (GPA) that semester. I reached out to all of them in advance, and all of them were like, ‘Don’t even worry about it. You’re fine.’ I don’t know how I would have gotten through that semester without the understanding and compassion from my professors at Owens.”
LeGare will graduate with an Associate Degree in Paralegal Transfer Concentration during the Fall 2024 commencement. She is being recognized as an Outstanding Graduate in Business Technologies.
“I feel like I worked so hard and receiving the recognition meant a lot to me,” LeGare said. “My hard work finally paid off. Someone recognized how hard I’ve worked and what I’ve overcome.”
LeGare started as a nursing student at Owens, but after a brief hiatus from school, she realized her heart wasn’t in that area of study. She had always taken an interest in the legal system and decided to give the paralegal program a try.
“After I started taking the classes, I felt my grades improved tremendously because I felt more passionate about what I was learning, the material resonated with me,” LeGare said. “I could see myself applying this information to my job in the future, so it was a natural switch for me.”
As with most people, LeGare’s interest in the legal system started when she was younger and watching the TV show,“Law & Order,” and it continued while watching “Suits.”
Unfortunately for fans of those shows or other courtroom dramas like them, LeGare said there’s not a lot based in reality. In fact, they’ll discuss the inaccuracies of those shows during class.
“It’s pretty fictionalized,” LeGare said. “We talk about that in class a lot actually. We all laugh and joke because of some of the scenes we see.”
LeGare is only the third graduate from the paralegal program at Owens, which began in 2023. The program is a partnership with the University of Toledo, allowing students to earn their associate degree at Owens and transfer to Toledo to pursue a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies.
Rather than give her pause over entering the program, the newness of it at Owens gave her motivation to succeed.
“Knowing that I was going to be one of the first ones, I wanted to set an example,” LeGare said. “I wanted to be an example for those following.”
Wrapping up her degree, LeGare said she appreciates what the Owens classroom offered to her.
“At Owens, I have formed great relationships with many of my professors,” LeGare said. “I still communicate with them. I’ve asked them if I can still communicate with them after I graduate, and they’re like, ‘Oh, of course!’ I really felt a sense of community and family here that not a lot of other schools get to say they have.”
Learn more about the Paralegal Transfer Concentration, AA >>
Learn more about the School of Business, Hospitality Management and Public Safety >>
Published December 2024