Graduating from The University of Alabama has not only been Jalynn Chance’s dream, but one she shared with her late grandfather. Chance will graduate on May 2, completing the path she set for herself from the beginning; while also knowing how special this occasion is for her and her family.
Growing up in Mobile and a family of huge Alabama fans, it was no surprise that Chance would choose to come to the Capstone. But it was her grandfather’s love of Alabama that inspired her to follow her plan and his dream.
“My Pawpaw was the biggest Crimson Tide fan I know. Every Saturday, even when he was fighting stage four cancer, he would text me ‘Wake up! It’s game day!’,” said Chance. Chance was very close to her grandfather, John Chance, and knew he would love nothing more than for her to earn her diploma from Alabama.
“He came up to attend the A-Day game with us a few years ago and we were ready to leave not long into it,” Chance said. “We wanted to go home and watch it on TV, but he insisted we stay and watch it in Bryant-Denny. That was him. He loved everything Alabama.”
Championed by her family, Chance came to UA as a freshman with a plan.
“I always knew I wanted to do medical law, but not necessarily malpractice,” she said. “I grew up around many people in the medical field and my best friend is starting medical school in July. So my interest has always been on that side of the law and what that looks like.”
But her journey took her to a place she least expected to learn more about legal practices at work, UA’s Division of Research. She accepted a position as a student worker there and ended up spending four years supporting the office.
Her work there allowed her to learn from their attorneys and law school interns, which only solidified her plans to attend law school. But the relationships she built supported her through one of the most difficult times of her academic career.
“Working with them has given me far more than professional skills. It’s given me mentors who have become family.”
Late spring last year, Chance said her coworkers stepped up for her in a big way.
“It was around this time last year when my Pawpaw died and I needed to get back home as soon as possible,” she said. “I was dealing with getting ready for finals and I couldn’t concentrate on that with needing to be with my family and grieve.”
“They said to me ‘You need to be home with your family. Let us take care of everything for you.’ They were very important to me being able to leave,” she explained. “That allowed me to be with my family for a month. They were constantly checking in with me the whole time I was home. That’s one reason they are like family to me.”
Just like her family in Mobile, Chance’s work family encouraged her and supported her in pursuing law school. In the fall, Chance will begin her first year at The University of Alabama School of Law. She plans to use that year to pin down what type of medical law is a fit for her.
Until then, she’s going to soak up everything she can at UA and the Division of Research. She’ll also be working with them full-time this summer.
After law school, Chance said she wants to move back to Mobile and maybe work for a hospital or a healthcare group.
Graduating from UA and then attending the University’s law school is her way to honor her grandfather’s memory.
“This campus has transformed me from an anxious freshman to a driven future law student ready to lead,” she said. “What began as a way to make him proud has become an experience that has shaped who I am. I know he would be so proud.”