Sometimes you just know in your bones what you’re meant to do. And that’s the case with Malaina Weldy ’12. From dinner-time stories from her attorney father, to a love of reading and writing, to a senior thesis for Michael Yeakey about the perils of the law profession… law was always somewhere on her mind.
Following a BA in Business from Goshen College, Malaina enrolled at Notre Dame for their joint JD/MBA program. She found that the combination of these degree programs equipped her with a unique and complementary skill set. “As a law student, I got to use my love of reading and writing. But as an MBA student, I quickly learned that business leaders don’t have interest in reading all of that… they often just want bullet points,” said Malaina. For the past three and half years, Malaina has used her combined skills and knowledge as a business law attorney in Grand Rapids with Warner Norcross + Judd.
Malaina credits her seven years at Bethany as a formative time, where she was challenged to come out of her shell and develop a deep sense of character that would guide her throughout her life. The critical thinking skills she developed in Dale Shenk's class discussions, and the strong writing skills she built in Eileen Becker-Hoover's English courses prepared her well for the advanced language needed in law school.
KP (Krysten Parson) also served as a strong role model for Malaina while at Bethany. “KP is just an amazing mentor… she’s someone who lives out her passions in a real, open, and loving manner,” noted Malaina. Thankful for her strong home life, and positive mentors in adolescence, Malaina now feels particular pride in mentoring an 8th-grade girl in her Grand Rapids community. “We've been matched together for two years now, and we meet every single week. When I think about my life, I don't necessarily think I'm called to have an impact on masses of people, but to have a positive impact and maybe change the trajectory of one person's life is something I can do and something that matters. I'm proud to be doing that.”
Weekly meetings have provided Malaina a window into the daily challenges her mentee faces, especially at school. “When I think about the experience I had at Bethany, I wish that more students could have that.” In the spirit of supporting such experiences, Malaina began regularly donating to Bethany quite soon after graduation. “It’s easy to kick the can down the road…,” she said. “There’s always something to save your money for, or something to upgrade or fix, but if I really want to be who I say I am – someone who values philanthropy and volunteerism – then I need to develop those habits NOW.”
Malaina also encourages other young alum to consider the ways they’ve benefited from their Bethany educational experience, and to find ways to pay that forward – either in their own communities, or to future generations of Bethany Bruins.