As the Senior Insurance Litigation Paralegal at Marc Whitehead & Associates, Melanie oversees long-term disability claims and supports our attorneys working on LTD cases. Melanie has been with the firm for 24 years (next summer will be her 25th), and is familiar with the challenging circumstances that bring clients to us. “All their insurance has been cut off, and they’re in unfortunate circumstances, not just with their health, but also financially,” Melanie explains. “Some of these folks are trying to raise kids; some are trying to keep a roof over their heads.”These heart-wrenching situations motivate everyone at the firm to find resolutions for cases. As Melanie says, “We are all very passionate about what we do.We have to be.” Even after a long day working through claims, Melanie brings her compassionate and genuine disposition to everyone she interacts with, including her team. “My team is awesome,”Melanie says. “They all care about what they do.They’re conscientious self-starters and incredible human beings. I feel lucky to have those folks on my team. I tell them that quite often.” Another favorite way she shows her appreciation is with orders of cookies from La Madeleine’s bakery. It was after raising three beautiful, capable, and talented daughters that Melanie began working for our firm and found that she had an interest in the law. She wanted to learn more and asked for Marc’s sponsorship so she could attend paralegal school. As she says, “It’s worked out very well. Marc is incredibly good to us.” When asked what it’s like to work at the firm, Melanie shares her gratitude for the positive work environment here. “We are just blessed; we clearly are,” she says. “Everybody gets along and we have a great deal of respect for each other. We work hard and a lot of times are very busy, and even in those times, we watch out and take care of each other. We’re really lucky to have the working relationship that we do.” When the work day ends, Melanie puts on her grandma hat for the most adorable grandkids you could ever imagine. She has a grandson named Hudson, who’s 4, and a granddaughter named Paige, who’s 2.They live an hour outside of Nashville, so she visits often and makes her home open to them and her children with dinner and football games. Melanie sums up her home and work life best: “We’re very lucky over here.” The Senior Paralegal Matches Compassion and Dedication for the Win Melanie Shares Why She Feels Blessed
... continued from cover and character building. “Over the past five years, the organization has grown and has become such a huge part of my life,” Summer wrote in her essay. Summer says it’s difficult to find words to describe how much the scholarship means to her. “People don’t understand what a difference it makes to recipients. It’s amazing beyond words. This scholarship means an education for me,” Summer says. “It means a future.” Brandon, the recipient of the Flora Marie Jenkins Memorial Disability Scholarship, has also experienced adversity and risen to the challenge. A freshman at Butler University, Brandon was born with Poland Syndrome, a disorder which affects the left side of his body.The rare disorder results in missing or underdeveloped muscles on one side of the body, and Brandon had three surgeries before he turned 2 to improve his mobility. Even with treatment, he has limited strength in his left hand. It would have been easy to let these physical limitations define him, but Brandon has always had the mentality that he can do anything he sets his mind to. As he wrote in his essay, “I decided early on that I would never let my disability define me or prevent me from participating in something that brought me joy.” And he hasn’t. In addition to an impressive academic record, including being a member of the National Honor Society, Brandon has played sports from the time he was 4 and continued with football at the high school level on a team that won the 2016 State Championships. Continuing at a competitive level hasn’t always been easy, but Brandon has held true to the promise he made himself. “Although I have limited gripping ability in my hand, I still attend practice every day and compete with all my teammates,” he wrote. Brandon is using the scholarship toward his engineering degree at Butler University, with the eventual goal of completing a master’s degree. Brandon plans to use his education to design innovative technology solutions that cater to the needs of disabled people. As with his other endeavors, he is sure to overcome any hurdles he’ll face along the way. As Brandon says, “All of us face challenges in pursuit of our goals, but it’s how we react to those challenges that defines us as individuals.” Congratulations to Summer and Brandon. We are excited to see how these bright young people better their communities and everyone they come into contact with, and we are humbled to be a small part of their journey. -Marc Whitehead
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