“I’ve seen people around me struggle to get good legal representation,” says Melah. “A lot of people think if they get a court-appointed attorney, that person won’t care about their case.”

Melah has watched friends and family members wrestle with the legal system, sometimes feeling unheard before their case even began.

“It makes people lose trust in the justice system,” she says. “If someone has an attorney who actually listens to them and supports them during the worst moments of their lives, it changes how they experience that system.”

The belief that everyone deserves to feel heard was infused in her at Guilford and is what’s driving Melah toward a career as a public defense attorney. The Criminal Justice major will graduate this spring, a year ahead of schedule, before spending the next year working in a legal internship and preparing for the LSAT. If things go according to plan, she’ll begin law school the following year.

The interest in law began, like it does for many future attorneys, with television.

“I watched ‘Law & Order’ all the time growing up,” she says with a smile. “At first I wanted to be a district attorney.”

But as she grew older, the real-life stories around her began to reshape that ambition. Melah grew up in Albemarle, N.C., and graduated from Gray Stone Day School, where her class included about 80 students. Watching people in her community navigate legal trouble — often without strong representation — left an impression.

“I’ve seen people take on debt trying to find a lawyer they think will actually fight for them,” she says. “And sometimes they still feel like nobody is really listening.”

Long before she ever set foot on Guilford’s campus, Melah thought she wanted a very different college experience. Coming from a small high school, she imagined herself at a large state university and applied to schools like UNC Charlotte, UNC Wilmington and N.C. A&T.

Guilford changed her mind.

“My college counselor kept telling me I should visit,” Melah says. The visit changed everything. Instead of a generic tour experience, Melah found a campus where conversations felt personal.

“People introduced me to faculty in the Criminal Justice department,” she says. “It actually felt like they were talking to me about my interests and what my life here could look like.”

Three years later, that personal connection still defines her experience.

Melah says Guilford’s professors have been deeply invested in her success.

“They really go out of their way for students,” she says. “You can go to them with anything.”

Outside the classroom, Melah immersed herself in campus leadership. She serves as vice president of Guilford’s Pre-Law Society, participates in the Student Body Association and is both a Quaker Leadership Scholar and a Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholar.

Those experiences helped her grow in ways she didn’t expect.

“I’ve been able to focus on my work and do it well,” she says. “But I’ve also had time to grow personally, take on leadership roles and get involved.”

For students back home debating between a large university and a smaller college, Melah offers simple advice.

“Don’t count out a smaller school like Guilford,” she says. “People think it will feel like high school again, but at Guilford it’s not.”