Melissia Ball couldn’t think much about college while she was in high school. Her mother died of cancer while Melissia was in middle school. Her father worked twelve or more hours a day to pay medical bills that resulted from his wife’s illness and keep the family of five kids fed.

“I think he went without lunch many times so that we would have lunch money for school,” Melissia recalls.

As the oldest girl, most of Melissia’s time was spent caring for her siblings, doing household chores and tending to the family’s garden with large tomato and tobacco crops.

“My dad taught me to work. His motto was ‘if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.’”

After leaving home, she found herself working two or three jobs to pay her bills. At the suggestion of one of her employers, attorney Fred L. Myers Jr., she enrolled in Walters State’s Paralegal Studies program. The evening program allowed her to keep her full-time job while working toward a degree. She finished the program with honors. The two-year degree gave her more earning power, but it also gave her a passion for learning more about the legal system.

The next step for Melissia was earning a special certification from the National Association of Legal Assistants. For this, she studied months and took a grueling two-day test. Then, she earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Tusculum College and went on to the Nashville School of Law. Both programs offered evening classes, which enabled her to keep working while studying. This summer, she will sit for the bar exam.

“It wasn’t easy. I remember working two jobs almost the entire time I was in school. And I drove 269 miles each way to attend law school,” Melissia recalls. “But it’s worth it. I love my job and I hope I’m able to help people as an attorney.”

Some specific people that she hopes to help are her 11 nieces and nephews, including the newest addition – a set of triplets. She wants to instill in them the value of a hard day’s work while making it easier for them to obtain an education.

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