Alice Legg

Twenty years ago, Alice Legg was a freshman at Baldwin Wallace University. She had plans to double-major in psychology and art, with the goal of becoming an art therapist. However, financial problems forced her to drop out after just one year, and she eventually married and focused on raising her three children.

Her desire to return to college, earn a degree and pursue a career brought her to Cuyahoga Community College in 2016. Legg rediscovered her passion for learning at Tri-C, and she excelled academically.

She was accepted into the Mandel Scholars Academy, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society and the Honors Program, and was named to the All-Ohio Academic First Team this spring. Legg earned an Associate of Arts degree in May, and had an extra responsibility that night – she was chosen as the student speaker for the 2018 Spring Commencement.

“It’s one of the greatest honors that has ever been bestowed upon me,” Legg said.

She hopes her speech resonated, in particular, with single mothers like herself.

“At the time I became a single parent, it wasn’t the norm,” she said. “I went through being scrutinized and stigmatized. But I wasn’t going to allow myself to give in to that. I was going to make sure I was the only one who was going to determine my future. And that’s what I want to tell others in my position: you don’t have to listen to the negativity around you. You can follow your dreams on your terms.”

The Fairview Park resident will attend Cleveland State University, where she has been accepted into the Mandel Honors Program. She plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in urban studies before attending CSU’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

“My goal is now to become a prosecutor, and maybe a judge,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who is analytical and believes in justice and fairness.”